As if we needed any further confirmation, it appears that Zion Williamson picked the right sport to play.
Williamson is widely accepted as the surefire first overall pick for the New Orleans Pelicans in the upcoming NBA draft. As scouts and coaches attempt to pick apart his game on the court, there have been few weaknesses to expose.
In fact, there have been few weaknesses to be found in his overall skill as an athlete. In April, Patriots star receiver Julian Edelman lightheartedly “recruited” the 6’7 285 pound forward to give football a shot.
Although it’s an impossibility at this point, there is a long list of successful basketball players crossing over to become successful football players, and there is nothing in Williamson’s athletic makeup that suggests he couldn’t be successful on the field as well.
If there is one criticism to be had about his performance in basketball, it could be his lack of grace. If he were currently in the NBA he would be the second heaviest player in the league just behind Philadelphia’s Boban Marjanovic who is listed at 291 pounds. With that being said, It’s no wonder that he isn’t the most nimble guy on the court.
It appears that that lack of grace and touch is present in his golf game as well. This past weekend, TMZ captured the Duke star working on his golf swing, and it is clear that he has a bit more work to do.
Williamson has drawn comparisons to Hall of Famer Charles Barkley with his playing style on the court. As he works towards surpassing him as a basketball player, he may have to put a little bit of extra time on his swing to avoid comparisons to Barkley’s swing that is considered unorthodox, to say the least.
If he’s as determined to improve his golf game as he is for his basketball game, he won’t have anything to worry about. Williamson went through a 6-inch growth spurt as he entered high school, and hasn’t looked back since.
He took the college basketball world by storm during the 2018-19 season after becoming a viral sensation at Spartanburg Day school located in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
In his sole year at Duke, he managed to secure National College Player of the Year, First team All-American, and ACC Player of the year, among several other awards despite missing several games after the infamous shoe malfunction vs North Carolina that resulted in a sprained knee.
As long as his proficiency in golf isn’t one of the requirements for New Orleans, it’s safe to say that the draft will start with the Memphis Grizzlies at pick #2.
The 2019 NBA draft will take place on Thursday, June 20th.