Refrigerators were never designed to fly.
Then again, humans weren’t ever supposed to be 6-foot-6, 285 pounds of muscle with a bit of expiring baby fat, and have at least a 45-inch vertical leap. Some say it’s closer to 48 inches, but there’s always some exaggeration when it comes to a growing folklore.
Zion Williamson is coming to the United Center on Wednesday night, and the Bulls will have a chance to try and decipher fact from fiction in person.
Good luck.
“I think it’s great for the league,’’ Bulls coach Jim Boylen said on Tuesday of the Williamson hype. “I think obviously, what a deal for the city of New Orleans. But phenoms like him, guys like him help us all. They help the whole league. They raise the profile of the league, the excitement for the league. People are going to circle that game now as a big game when they come in. That’s important. Now when the Lakers come in, it’s a big game. When Boston comes in it’s a big game, Toronto comes in it’s a big game. Now New Orleans comes in, it’s a big game. That helps the league and helps us all.’’
Boylen did get to dive into the film on Williamson a bit more, especially considering Williamson made his preseason debut on Monday, throwing down three jaw-dropping dunks, scoring 16 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and finishing with three assists and three steals.
“I understood his talent is exceptional and his athleticism is legendary,’’ Boylen said of the rookie. “I just like the spirit he plays with, the energy he brings. He seems to enjoy when his teammates have success and plays with emotion. I like guys like that. He brings juice to the building.
“I heard he practices hard and works hard. You gotta love those kind of guys. I haven’t seen a whole bunch of him yet, but he’s playing a lot of four, which to me is what he is. He’s a four who can guard everybody and handle the ball, and help you win in a lot of different ways.’’
Two current Bulls know that about Williamson all too well.
Like Williamson, current Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. left Duke after his freshman season to chase down his NBA dreams. Carter, who left the year before Williamson arrived on campus, met the All-American, and had good friends on the team that played alongside him last season.
Carter has always been on the Zion hype bandwagon.
“He’s had this hype since pretty much high school, and he had a lot of people around him boosting his head up,’’ Carter said. “But I think he has his head on right. He knows exactly what he has to do as far as working, and saw that last game [against Atlanta on Monday], and he played really, really well. He’s going to grow each and every day as long as he stays committed.’’
Carter was hoping to face Williamson first hand, but a tailbone contusion suffered last week still has him listed as doubtful at best.
Then there’s rookie Coby White, who faced Williamson last season at North Carolina, and knows exactly what going against the man-child is like. The two knew of each other back in AAU basketball in their high school days, and then last year faced off in the Tobacco Road rivalry.
“He’s what you see,’’ White said. “What everyone else sees. He’s 6-6. Big, strong, athletic, powerful.
“He plays with a lot of energy and a lot of passion. He does what he does. I mean, y’all see it. Y’all see it on TV. Y’all seen him play.’’
Now the Bulls get that opportunity.
United Center rims beware.
