If Charles Barkley is Zion Williamson’s ceiling, then what is his floor? Unfortunately I have a far more recent example for who I see that potentially being:
At UNLV Bennett was ultra-quick and athletic for his size, highly regarded as an offensive player, led his team in scoring and rebounds, and seemed to improve before everyone’s eyes. He was ferocious around the basket with the ball, and while leaner than Zion and taller than Barkley, his strength was an asset that he used to his advantage, moving opponents out of the way whenever he wished.
NBAdraft.net raved about Bennett on his bio page (although his comps were only Rodney Rogers and Jason Maxiell), offering very little in the way of weaknesses.
Ultimately though, Bennett proved too heavy and short for a modern power forward, lacked desire on the defensive end, and when things got tough, he disappeared.
Of course, at the moment there is no way to know where Zion will land on the spectrum between Barkley and Bennett until he not only plays out his college career, but then completes a few seasons in the NBA.
Should Zion at least lean across the dividing line towards Sir Charles and have both a productive career but also one that is predicated on not just flashy dunks but also rebounding and defensive awareness, then there is no doubt in my mind that he will be worth the selection, regardless of where the Phoenix Suns might take him.
Recently I wrote that one of the ways the Phoenix Suns can have a successful season is if they have a good year on the court and yet still win the lottery. You can read that here:
More than just winning the lottery though is selecting the right player. If Zion Williamson is available when the Suns draft (and they take him), and he becomes Anthony Bennett, then of course they will have lost the lottery.
However, if they select Zion and he becomes the next Charles Barkley, not only have they won the lottery and by extension won the draft, but they will be winning a whole heckofa lot more games than recent memory – and possibly championships – than ever before.