Boston's hold on King's 1st-round pick looking like gold - Zion Williamson & R. J. Barrett dominate


Count me in as a believer in Duke's Zion Williamson and R. J. Barrett as future NBA stars. To say these stars shined last night in the pre-season game against Ryerson is an understatement.


DukeBasketballReports's JD King calls Zion a bumblebee because bumblebees are so big and heavy they are not supposed to be able to fly, but they do so anyway. So does the absolute-freak-of-nature Williamson at 6'7" and 285 pounds.

Duke overwhelmed Ryerson last night 86-67, and Zion had 29 points and 13 rebounds - and those were not what Celtics announcer, Tommy Heinsohn, calls high school rebounds. They were pro-type boards - in traffic - skying above everyone else - while being bodied and not even noticing it. I do not recall ever seeing anyone like this kid. Oh, and his shooting? He supposedly lacks an outside shot but hit 13-of-23 from the field and 3-of-4 from the 3-point line. Take a few minutes and watch his highlights.




Cam Reddish did not play due to an injury, but R. J. Barrett did play, starting at point guard. He notched scoring honors with 34 points while also grabbing five rebounds. Barrett is talented, versatile and controlled. It certainly appears that Zion, Cam and R. J. will most likely go into the 2019 draft and will no doubt be taken in the top-5 of the lottery, barring any unforeseen happenings.



Suddenly, the Boston Celtics hold on the Sacramento King's first-round (#1 protected) draft pick is looking like gold. Granted, this was only a college pre-season game, but I never expected this, particularly from Williamson. Duke Basketball's JD King calls him a hybrid forward because he seems to be a new basketball species. This bumblebee can't only fly - he dominates the skies.

Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC

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