Zion is a Lebron/Giannis level athlete

[StrongLurk]

Except his athleticism in the half court setting may be even crazier than theirs.

Zion has only played 67 games in his career yet he is clearly a superstar level talent. His advanced stats are insane on offense already and he is like a more agile/athletic Charles Barkley. He is truly unstoppable within ten feet of the basket and his power/hops off of two feet is MJ-like, except Zion is like 70 pounds heavier.

I'm kind of surprised he isn't talked about more, I guess that what happens when you play for the Pelicans. People wanted to say Ben Simmons would be a Lebron level player when he was drafted but to me he obviously wouldn't be that, but Zion can definitely win multiple MVPs in the future.

[tontoz]

His size and athleticism are like nothing I have ever seen in the NBA. His ball handling is better than I realized.

Very disciplined player as well. I rarely see him take a bad shot. Very decisive with the ball. When he catches a pass he either makes a move quickly or passes quickly. He doesn't hold the ball.

I knew he would be good but I didn't expect him to be this good so early. Would like to see more rebounds but other than that it is hard to find anything to criticize.

[warriorfan]

His body just needs to hold up.

[Xiao Yao You]

His size and athleticism are like nothing I have ever seen in the NBA. His ball handling is better than I realized.

Very disciplined player as well. I rarely see him take a bad shot. Very decisive with the ball. When he catches a pass he either makes a move quickly or passes quickly. He doesn't hold the ball.

I knew he would be good but I didn't expect him to be this good so early. Would like to see more rebounds but other than that it is hard to find anything to criticize.

horrible defensively

[tontoz]

horrible defensively

That is pretty much normal for young players. Learning how to play man D as well as learning rotations takes time. He's only played 67 games.

If he is still struggling on D in year 4 then I would be more concerned.

[LoneyROY7]

horrible defensively

Good lord you're annoying.

[RRR3]

Good lord you're annoying.

He really is. “Everyone sucks besides Toody Gobert and Georges Niang” gets old fast.

[CTbasketball92]

Zion is what happens when Shaq and Michael Jordan do the fusion dance. He's got balletic footwork/agility and body control like Michael Jordan along with MJ-esque first step, ability to jump equally well off both feet and explode off two feet from far away and contort his body in obscene ways to score. He's got Shaq's outlier size/muscle except in a 6'7" body. I think Zion is actually a lot more athletic than Giannis because none of Giannis' literal physical abilities outside his length are elite. Giannis does not have a 40 inch vertical, he's fast but not as fast as the pure speedsters in the league (Ben Simmons, DeAaron Fox, for instance) and he's also not really that quick laterally. He moves like a big man. That said he's still a great athlete. But Zion is legitimately one of the most explosive initial burst guys regardless of size, and he's maybe the best leaper in the league. He and Ja Morant are like tied for that.

[Xiao Yao You]

He really is. “Everyone sucks besides Toody Gobert and Georges Niang” gets old fast.

almost as old as saying things that aren't true

[SATAN]

Did everyone on ish stop expecting him to suffer a catastrophic injury all of a sudden?

[StrongLurk]

His size and athleticism are like nothing I have ever seen in the NBA. His ball handling is better than I realized.

Very disciplined player as well. I rarely see him take a bad shot. Very decisive with the ball. When he catches a pass he either makes a move quickly or passes quickly. He doesn't hold the ball.

I knew he would be good but I didn't expect him to be this good so early. Would like to see more rebounds but other than that it is hard to find anything to criticize.

He's a terrible defender, like legit really bad. Granted my post is focused on his offense but still, he needs to improve a ton.

[tpols]

Zion is what happens when Shaq and Michael Jordan do the fusion dance. He's got balletic footwork/agility and body control like Michael Jordan along with MJ-esque first step, ability to jump equally well off both feet and explode off two feet from far away and contort his body in obscene ways to score. He's got Shaq's outlier size/muscle except in a 6'7" body. I think Zion is actually a lot more athletic than Giannis because none of Giannis' literal physical abilities outside his length are elite. Giannis does not have a 40 inch vertical, he's fast but not as fast as the pure speedsters in the league (Ben Simmons, DeAaron Fox, for instance) and he's also not really that quick laterally. He moves like a big man. That said he's still a great athlete. But Zion is legitimately one of the most explosive initial burst guys regardless of size, and he's maybe the best leaper in the league. He and Ja Morant are like tied for that.

I remember seeing a chart Zion didn't take a single shot outside the paint like a month ago. He's definitely nice and going to be great, but without shooting? I don't know. He's also incredibly lucky to play in a league with lackluster rim protection compared to previous eras and absurd spacing to allow him to drive. You couldn't be great in past eras without some shooting ability to allow you to get inside. MJ is one of the best midrange players of all time, and Shaq is way bigger than Zion so that's a moot point.

[light]

Zion is athletic and can obviously jump very high but I don't think he's that fast.

[tontoz]

There is no reason to shoot jumpers if they can't stop him from getting to the rim. He is scoring 26 ppg. He can blow past guys at will.

He will shoot an open 3 at times.

[tpols]

There is no reason to shoot jumpers if they can't stop him from getting to the rim. He is scoring 26 ppg. He can blow past guys at will.

He will shoot an open 3 at times.

I agree in this era, but in past eras it would be too crowded to just auto drive. You need some threat of the baby jumper to get in. Barkley, Malone, and others all had great midrange games that allowed them to get inside when forcing it wasn't an option.