11-17-2023, 10:29 AM
(11-15-2023, 09:51 AM)meistermatze Wrote: Not referring to someone specifically, but even in this thread and, obviously, on this board as a whole and in the NBA community in general, people keep repeating how good Zion is. He is the most overrated player in years. He is not even the best player on his team, Ingram is. And it is not even close. Zion is a fat dunker, immature and unprofessional. He gets hyped for his highlight reels but even if he could stay healthy, which he can't because unprofessional, I don't see anything special in his game. The Shaq-comparisons are also a joke, he is way undersized and can't really bully any legit big. Sorry, I just don't see it.
I'm a Pelicans fan as well so I feel qualified to respond to this one. Zion has not looked so great this season. He's overweight and the athleticism isn't what it was a year ago. Part of the problem though is that he's not being used appropriately in their offense. Much of the time, they're giving him the ball on post-ups and that's not going well. He is best when given the ball at the top of the key and he can then take it to the rim and finish or dish to open 3-point shooters if needed. That's what they did with him in his second year and early last season before he was injured. That worked extremely well.
His efficiency driving and finishing at the rim was historically great. His ability to make the appropriate pass when needed was surprisingly good. His explosive athleticism at this size was extraordinary. There has never been an NBA athlete that strong with that much quick-twitch athleticism. Those were the reasons the Pelicans had the best record in the West last season before Zion's injury. Not seeing anything special in that means you didn't watch those games. It doesn't even seem like you watched the highlights.
Ingram is a vastly inferior player to Zion. He is lazy on defense and overrated on offense. He specializes in dribbling around then shooting contested 18-footers. He does not like to work and try to get to the rim. He doesn't like to draw contact. Ingram is terribly overrated and a much inferior player to healthy Zion. The fact that Ingram has more FG attempts per game is evidence that Willie Green is not a very good coach. He's a great guy but not a good coach.
In summary, Zion is overweight and it's greatly affecting his athleticism. He's also being horribly misused at the moment. It's sad that he refuses to take care of his body. It's also sad the Pelicans couldn't hire a more qualified coach to maximize his ability. It's honestly somewhat similar to the Mavs hiring J Kidd to coach Luke the phenom. A healthy, fit Zion on a well-coached team is an MVP candidate. Unfortunately, we may never see that player again.