ESPN NBA draft analyst Mike Smitz appeared on Get Up to talk about Zion Williamson. It is his contention that the Duke superstar will be the top center in the league in five years. Jalen Rose, who it should be mentioned is actually taller than Williamson, had some extreme reservations concerning that take.
This segment is an iceberg. You’re seeing the part above the water, the disagreement about Zion Williamson’s NBA future. But it’s reflective of the mammoth hunk of content below the surface.
There is a seemingly endless list of debate topics orbiting around this young, transcendent basketball star. This is a very specific hypothetical.
First, Williamson probably won’t even play center. He’s too short. But there’s certainly no downside to speculating on a what-if. The beauty here is everything is non-binding. Immediate reaction may be strong, yet all of these predictions will be lost to the sands of time.
Through that lens, it’s becoming even more clear that Williamson is being groomed to fill the hole LeBron James will leave when he eventually hangs it up. Sports media needs that perfect vessel to drive conversation, and while Zion isn’t yet as interesting as LeBron, he has the potential to become the shiniest, most polarizing figure.
Welcome to the next five years, no matter which position Williamson finds himself playing. It’s going to take an especially shiny toy to get the media at large to find a new obsession/successor to the content throne.
