2019 NBA Draft

[tap2390]

Hot take: Deandre Hunter will win ROY and have a better career than Zion.

[Scoobay]

Originally Posted by tap2390

Hot take: Deandre Hunter will win ROY and have a better career than Zion.

i'll bite - what are you basing this off of?

[tap2390]

Originally Posted by Scoobay

i'll bite - what are you basing this off of?

Couple of things...

He is the better, more consistent shooter, better defender, and arguably better handling the ball. Zion will either have to play the three where his quickness will be negated, or the four where his strength won’t be as imposing. Zion’s weight and explosiveness may also lead to leg/knee issues which would be killer for a guy so reliant on athleticism. Zion is without a doubt a rare athlete, but unless his skillset catches up and he loses weight I think he’ll disappoint in the league. Personally, if we got the number one pick I would try to trade down a spot or two and pick up assets.

[Scoobay]

Originally Posted by tap2390

Couple of things...

He is the better, more consistent shooter, better defender, and arguably better handling the ball. Zion will either have to play the three where his quickness will be negated, or the four where his strength won’t be as imposing. Zion’s weight and explosiveness may also lead to leg/knee issues which would be killer for a guy so reliant on athleticism. Zion is without a doubt a rare athlete, but unless his skillset catches up and he loses weight I think he’ll disappoint in the league. Personally, if we got the number one pick I would try to trade down a spot or two and pick up assets.

thanks - haven't really seen Hunter much
Zion - mostly highlights but from the few games i've seen, he's not just a one trick pony. he's quite skilled already and has amazing body control and good BB IQ.

i don't think position definitions are so strict especially these days - if you're thinking he'd be negated in some way on offense, it'd be mostly because he needs to have a more consistent jumper. that may take time and may never be his biggest strength, but geez his quickness and strength together are imposing and i can't really think of many in the league that could stop him. and that's just in a bubble. put him with Luka and KP and you've got 3 players with unique skill sets, all with fantastic size.

it's all fantasy of course and Hunter is intriguing as a consolation prize but i don't think he's a better choice over Zion.

PS: he's 18. we talk about Luka's baby fat but Zion won't be 19 until July. give him a couple years of NBA strength/conditioning... he had what a 45" vertical at 280 pounds? that's just insane power/force.