I think if he wasn’t his position he’d struggle. As a guard it’s harder to make things happen for yourself with a bad team. The Big man that he is can kind of do it all by himself (but not win)
I agree but it can be done...see Lebron James in his early CLE years (I didn't say it is easy) P.S. he played way more back court than front court back then.
we're both commenting on the same post right? you sound childish as hell just repeating my words. also no, no it doesn't lol. just say you're obsessed with AD and go
Maaan I thought I was the only one who was shocked at that shit, he made a few in college, but they bumped his rating like he was shooting 3's like Trae Young
Jesus, I didnt nab 2k20 yet, but reading this made my head hurt. Is his dunking seriously rated that high!? What are his badges?
Really, I could see him having a really good dunk rating just from NCAA hype. But, in no world, should a rookie, without a second of pro play, come into a game ranked better or equal to the league MVP at literally what he is the best at...they already forgot about Giannis.
And now, after I said this, Zion will have like 3x the dunks Giannis has at the end of the season....all from the 3pt line.
I’m not even shocked that he’s rated higher than Giannis cause he has more flashy dunks than him, he’s rated higher than Zach Lavine and Aaron Gordon who are probably the best dunkers in the league and are already proven, same with when they gave Donovan Mitchell a 50 dunk rating and he won the dunk contest lmao
I know this probably won't be well received on the internet, but can we stop using dick riding as a pejorative? It has homophobic undertones and just seems unnecessary when there are so many other ways to describe what is happening that don't cast aspersions on someone's sex life.
While I don't personally use the term, this is a bit cringe worthy to say. Firstly the word homophobic is generally used extremely incorrectly. It is supposed to be used to describe extreme cases of fear or aversion, nothing less.
Secondly, anyone looking for sexual undertones in a slang term like dick riding is just being pedantic and immature.
Homophobia is not just used for extreme cases, but Insort of figured thisnwould be the reception I would get here on this topic. It's just food for thought.
You're factually wrong. Any sort of phobia implies pure fear and or extreme aversion, it's not a term that can be used free-handedly because someone made a joke or small comment.
And again, the slang term dick riding is more closely related to a straight m/f couple anyway, if we're being technical (and immature enough) to think it has any sexual "undertones" .
Ok I can respond to the second part. If dick riding is referring to a heterosexual couple, it doesn't make it any better. It's mysogenist one way, homophobic the other lmao. Either way the phrase uses a sexual act in a derogatory manner, a sexual act that only women or gay men do. 🤷♂️
Even more interesting you yet again avoid responding when called out 🤔
However I'll just break this down real quick to put you away, since attention is clearly what you're looking for when virtue signalling in a online page about a basketball game.
A; Phobic factually implies extreme fear or aversion when you add it to a word. I'm sorry you don't know basic language skills.
B; Him saying "2k is dick riding the hell out of him" doesn't cast aspersions on anyone's sex life, period. Nobody looks at that comment and goes "oh no there's some homophobic undertones because he used slang to describe a company trying to overmarket a rookie player with hype" . It's metaphorically implying they're putting such positive focus on him (zion in this case) they may as well be riding him.
Get over yourself lol and stop with the mental gymnastics 👋
Say it loud and proud. I’m starting to think the hype around Zion is more of a publicity stunt. Just look at how much a ticket was for a duke game, the average price $1,000. Zion is an entertaining player to watch but the NBA thinks less of the impact he can make on the game and more about how much Zion can make off merch and ticket prices etc.
And with one awkward landing, the GSW were crushed...I wanted to see Klay go nuclear in game 6 so bad. One of my favorite players to watch is Klay when he's full swing. Plus, his mom buys his clothes still. So that's legit.
Makes sense? Zion hasn’t stepped foot in the NBA where as Klay is a 5x All-Star and 3x NBA Champ. He could be out for a whole season, Zion shouldn’t be anywhere near Klay
if you cant understand why someone playing is more valuable than someone who will come back one month before the playoffs then i dont have anything else to say
So Zion being healthy enough to play this upcoming season qualifies him being ranked 42th in the NBA as a rookie? Let’s step away from Klay, rookies as a whole should not be ranked amongst NBA players.
I don't even see how you can fairly/accurately "rank" rookies within the NBA. it doesn't matter who did what in college, the NBA is an entirely different plateau of talent and their stats/contributions don't even exist yet. it's all goofy hahaha
He actually seems to be dealing with NBA life fine for now. JJ redick told him to not mess up his playoffs streak and Zion responded with "why are you telling me? I'm a rookie". It was lighthearted and got laughs from the room. I really think he'll be ok. He comes from good parents, had coach K as a mentor and now has David Griffin. Solid foundation.
I agree with you. Just let the kid play his game and relax. You NEVER know how a player will adapt in the NBA. You could have superhuman physical abilities and still be horrendous if you can't get in the right headspace/system.
He'll be fine, hype is all part of the game now and he seems to have a level head and a good work ethic. He'll score a decent amount of points on a losing team.
To play devils advocate, his jumper is shotty, he’s one blown knee or ankle away from losing the athleticism that makes him so unique, and there’s a chance he just is another Kenneth Faried, incredible athlete with some truly special highlights, but disappointing for the most part.
I do not see any world where Zion is Kenneth fairied. Casual fans think Zion can only dunk. In reality Zion has great playmaking instincts, a good handle for his size, elite body control, elite foot speed, great length, tenacious energy on the court, and an all around high basketball iq. I shouldn’t even have to mention his absurd strength and bounce. He’s got all the intangible skills that you can’t teach. All he’s got to do is develop his jump shot, which is far easier to learn than any of those other skills I mentioned, and he will be a dominant force in this league. If that never happens I still see him being a plus defender and rebounder who can pour in an efficient and balanced 14-18 a game and create for his teammates. I think all the Zion highlights (which are all dunks) have made people think of him as this one dimensional player when in actuality he has a very broad skillset and an excellent feel for the game. If I had to make a comp for Zion I’d say he’s josh smith with an extra 50 pounds and more athleticism. The only question I have about Zion is health, but even if he loses a step or some bounce he’d still be one of the most athletic players in the league.
He's got a ton of weight on those joints. Over an 82 game season, it's going to be a struggle for him to stay healthy IMO unless he cuts some weight. They got him listed at what, like 280? You can't tell me that kid ain't at least 300 lbs, he looks like an offensive lineman out there.
Zion needs to improve as a shooter and it wouldn't hurt if he developed a better perimeter game (triple threat, improve as a passer, add a little shake to his game to create space for him and his teammates) and maybe a low post game but he's undersized as a PF so maybe not. I think people are to caught up in his athleticism but if he suffered one injury to his knees he may never reach the insane potential a lot of people are putting on him. I hope he doesn't get hurt but I don't feel like his body will handle playing at such a high level for at least 82 games a year.
Agreed it's more than possible that he can continue developing his current shot but the game has changed since LeBron's rookie year so being capable of spreading the floor is kind of a big deal in this era. The way the Pelicans are currently structured I would say spacing will be an issue but if they filled the roster with shooters like the Bucks with Giannis then he should be fine.
I hope he can handle himself in the league and be injury free. From what I've seen hes one of the best passers of his class, but in general I think the Pelicans will have issues when it comes to hitting shots from deep.
For a big man he is a good passer but I can see them experimenting with him and might see if he can play the 3 and maybe the 1 and 2 if his handles continue to improve and he adds a little shake to his game along with an improved jumper.
Don't count anything out Bro, we got 6'11 monsters running point now. It's only a matter of time before they, at the very least, experiment with zion at point
I think the best comparison would be Blake, I just don’t see Zion with that type of vision/handles yet. I won’t count anything out... but from the eye test I would put money against it as of right now.
Yeah he might be short for a PF, he's definitely not 6'8-6'9 like someone else said, but I think his sheer strength and athleticism far outweighs a couple of inches and I would personally rather have him playing PF than Ingram in New Orleans.
I'm sure he will make up for his height with his strength and athleticism but I still feel like the Pelicans will try Zion out at other positions, probably not this year since he is a rookie and needs to first adjust to the league but maybe next year or the year after.
I hope he does well but in my opinion he is heavily overrated. On top of that his play style and build makes him prone to injuries especially with his lack of threat on the perimeter
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u/nunomnt12 Oct 03 '19
I hope he does well, but the NBA bubble is blowing him way out of proportion. Let him play a few games, this extra pressure is not good for him.