NBA news: Zion Williamson should NOT emulate LeBron James in this way - expert
ZION WILLIAMSON, dubbed as the next LeBron James, cannot begin his NBA career at Cleveland Cavaliers for his own good.
That is according to NBA expert Stephen A. Smith.
Williamson has caught the eyes of the basketball world this season with his tour de force displays for college side Duke Blue Devils.
The 18-year-old, who hails from North Carolina, can play either as a small forward or power forward.
In his freshman year, Williamson has a heavyset physique, standing 6ft 7in tall and weighing 285lbs.
The worst possible place that Zion Williamson could end up in is Cleveland
NBA coaches are not permitted to talk about college players they may draft the following season, but Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has already likened Williamson to the league’s best player.
“I thought LeBron James was a one-shot deal but apparently the next guy is coming,” Kerr recently said in reference to Williamson.
“Before I get fined I am going to change the subject.”
James joined the Cavaliers when he came into the league, and it now appears that the franchise, who currently sit bottom of the Eastern Conference (2-13), will try to draft Williamson.
But such a move would be detrimental to the youngster’s progress, believes Smith.
“The worst possible place that Zion Williamson, of Duke, could end up in is Cleveland,” he said on First Take.
“And that’s what they’re trying to do, they’re trying to get him.
“We already look at him as a physical freak of nature.
“We already have quotes from the great Steve Kerr talking about: ‘I thought LeBron was once in a lifetime but evidently he’s not. There’s another on the way.’
“But if Zion Willamson ends up in Cleveland because of who he is physically, the athleticism, the size, the physicality, the dominance…
“If he ends up in Cleveland, he is going to arrive with expectation, and that’ll be a bad situation for him.”