The Phoenix Suns and the next man, myth, legend, Zion Williamson

There is no more exciting and important player in the 2019 NBA Draft than Zion Williamson. But how would his game translate if the Phoenix Suns were fortunate enough to draft him?

Despite Duke’s earlier than expected exit from the NCAA tournament, Zion Williamson’s NBA ceiling seems to be incredibly high – and the Phoenix Suns would be over the moon if they had the ability to select him number one overall.

Zion captured national attention during his single season at Duke and rightfully so. He is an powerful marvel whose athleticism, skillset, and overall game all have shades of current stars yet with his own unique combination.

To start off, Zion averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists/steals, and 1.8 blocks per game in his single college season – mind-blowingly amazing stats for a freshman.

Additionally, he has posted some incredible all-in one-metrics. His PER was 40.8, which is the highest recorded since sports-reference.com started tracking the stat in the 09-10 season.

Phoenix Suns

Zion’s box plus-minus of 20 is also the highest since the stat was consistently tracked in 09-10 as well.

On top of that, his 8.3 Win score puts him in the top ten since 09-10.

These stats all confirm Zion’s overall impact on his team and how important he was, even as a freshman. Zion contributed on all levels of the game and we see this with his statistical profile. He is very explosive in jumping passing lanes and taking the ball coast to coast; he ranked 2nd in the ACC in steal percentage at 3.9 according to KenPom (In conference-only games); yet some of the gambling that leads to those steals could be problematic in the NBA.

Zion posted high efficiency numbers with eFG% of 70.8%, which was 2nd in NCAA according to KenPom and TS% of 70.2 which was 4th.

Williamson shot incredibly well when using his athletic profile and skills to just get to the rim (73% of his shots) and doing so in a variety of ways. This was due to a variety of skills we see from him, including being a capable operator in the pick and roll, finishing through contact, and with a solid post-up game that could use some improvement.

That said, he tends to be predictable with his drop-steps and spins and going over his right shoulder and using his left hand so he will need to add moves to his arsenal but has a solid base to build from – but hey: maybe the Phoenix Suns have the right head coach to help implement additional moves into his already exciting game!

His shooting profile reveals possible weakness of his shot.

Shooting 33.0% from 3 and 64% from the free throw line, his form could be part of the problem as the mechanic is a bit clunky.

Additionally, his assist rate numbers don’t jump off the page and is another possible area of improvement.

For such an explosive player with such a large body to seemingly move mountains, his rebounding numbers are lower than expected: 12.8% Offensive rebound rate (71st in NCAA) and 18% defensive rebounding rate (421st in the NCAA).

If/when he improves on his rebounding, next to Deandre Ayton, the two players could clean up the boards while also kickstarting lightning quick fast breaks themselves, or with outlet dishes to the Suns’ shooters.

Zion’s stats do suffer from the fact that a lot of his hustle plays don’t necessarily show up on paper.

Watch a game and you see how his hustle has contributed to his steal and block numbers but beyond that, we don’t see a huge statistical impact from it as a result.

However, the hustle and motor are a key to Zion’s game and a feature he will need to bring every night.

Again, looking at Zion potentially on the Suns, adding his energy to the court next to Josh Jackson, and those two might give the old lineups that included Shawn Marion and Leandro Barbosa a run for their energetic money.

Zion’s statistical profile is a strong confirmation of what we have seen from his game all year – and what he might be if the Phoenix Suns have the opportunity to draft him.

He is a high energy player who gets to the rim and finishes at will, with the athletic ability to make a devastating impact both offensively and defensively. He will nee d some polish though as he grows in the NBA.

It will also be telling how he performs when he competes with NBA level athletes on a nightly basis. No matter what though, Zion Williamson remains the number one prospect with good reason, and although with a high ceiling, there is evidence that that ceiling isn’t as high as previously thought.