NCAA Basketball: Threats to Zion emerge in National Player of the Year race
By Brian Rauf
1) Zion Williamson, PF, Duke
Stats: 21.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.0 spg, 1.9 bpg
LW: 6
What else is there to say about Williamson that hasn’t been said before? He’s an other-worldly athlete and, instead of struggling once Duke hit ACC competition, has actually managed to raise his level of play.
Perhaps most impressive has been Williamson’s improvement from the perimeter. The 6-7, 285-pounder entered 2019 with just three made three-pointers on the season – he now has gone four consecutive games with at least one made three.
Zion is shooting 40 percent from deep during this stretch but it’s his willingness to shoot threes that has more of an impact than his ability to make them.
Previously reluctant to fire from long-range because of his struggles, opposing defenses started sagging off him in a way that would make Ben Simmons proud. They were daring him to shoot and, unlike Simmons, Williamson took them up on their offer. Now that he has made a couple, opponents aren’t sagging off of him anymore, and that has opened up more driving lanes for him and his teammates.
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This new wrinkle to Williamson’s game has made him even more lethal on the court, which has allowed him to keep up a sizable lead in this race. However, several players are ready to take advantage of the opportunity should he stumble.