If the narrative around the Duke Blue Devils this season was to see which of R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson would emerge as the superior prospect in the upcoming NBA Draft, then we can at least say that the highlight reel has favored Williamson.
We can’t just call Zion a dunker. You don’t get to be a top pick in the draft off dunks alone, and his scouting report includes some underrated playmaking instincts as well as the elite athleticism that everyone immediately thinks of.
But, man, this guy can dunk. The folks at Stadium collected every Zion Williamson dunk from this season, through 22 games, into an 8-minute supercut. Treat yourself to some good basketball slams.
Highlights aren’t everything, and NBA scouts will take the totality of each player’s game into account when deciding between Zion, Barrett, their Duke teammate Cam Reddish and UNC’s Nassir Little at the top of the draft. But highlights are cool, and Zion’s highlights are especially cool. Canadians are of course more likely to root for Barrett, the homegrown product, but Zion might have just stolen some hearts with his play this season.
With his athleticism, even Zion’s rebounds can be highlights! And that says nothing of what he can do as a shot-blocker — in one recent play, Zion even smacked his own head off the backboard while skying in for the denial.
h/t YouTube/Stadium
