Interesting. His skill level becomes more valuable / rare as he moves up positions. If he can reliably defend the 4 and be a small ball 5 in certain contexts, I'm not sure why you wouldn't play him there. Unless he's on a team where the high impact offensive players are in the front court (which is incredibly rare), it would seem that he'd both bring more value by himself and also better allow you to put more shooting / skill on the floor to maximize his strengths on both ends as a playmaking+finishing 4 and a roving playmaker / switchable defender.
I think he can play the 3, certainly. But I agree that his skillset plays up the further up on the defensive spectrum he goes. As the league goes smaller and more skilled, with emphasis placed on defensive versatility, someone like Williamson makes an ideal 4. I could even see him, in certain personnel groupings and against certain match-ups, excelling as a small ball 5, the way Draymond Green does. He has the strength to hold up on the block and the explosiveness to provide rim protection. He should end up playing all the positions from 3-5 over time. I'd slot him in as a "natural 4" in this era of the NBA, but match-ups and his teammates and the identity/style his coaches want to employ will end up moving him around a lot.
I just think you're exposing him more to his weaknesses playing him at the 3. And this discussion is precisely why some still want to question Zion's NBA translation. If you think he's ultimately too short with not enough length to work as a 4/5, his fit and value become harder to envision.
Those guys shouldve seen Kareem, or Bill Walton. Not sure how in the world college kids were supposed to handle those dudes. Not saying Zion hasnt been incredible this year, he really has.
Okay here is my rant-o-the-day. I absolutely HATE the NBA draft Lottery! At least the way it is set up presently. I want to see the ping pong balls bounce and come up! This whole drawing in private just reeks of shady bullshit! Why on earth are the fans not allowed to see what numbers come up live? The envelopes must... Absolutely MUST go away. There is no way i will ever trust the draft lottery until they let us see the balls come up and the numbers going to the team that is to get the number one pick. Also it just seems way to convenient way too often that certain teams get draft position that they should not get. How on earth does the Lakers and Pelicans make a huge mockery of the trade deadline and just like that both move up in the draft? Seriously there is nothing about this that doesn't stink.
It's not just one ping pong ball per position...right? It is a longer more boring process, one not made for TV. And if there is a representative from every team in there....plus media members.....how can it be shady?
Okay. I can agree with that to a point. Long process not made for TV and the current type of satisfaction now generation. Just video it and place the process on you tube and let us old reliable types watch it happen.
Yep. If you guys are interested, Kevin O’Connor was in the room where it happened and wrote a piece about it for The Ringer. Why would every media member agree to cover up the truth?
NDAs can't compel people to lie. All an NDA could do is compel silence--in which case, why would reporters even attend?
Because it's a chance for a reporter to be in an exclusive club, it's a chance to be around a bunch of organizations at the same time, it's a chance to do interviews.
You have a very valid point. My question is more about "Why wouldn't the NBA just allow everyone to see the drawing". Not that i don't trust the Members of the media that were there. I just don't understand why in the days of cable pretty much everything this process isn't at least on You Tube? Some way to view it is all i wonder about?