Zion Williamson may be the New Orleans Pelicans’ opening-night beginning heart. Does that make him a “huge” in right this moment’s extra imprecise positional dictionary? Affordable minds can disagree on this, I suppose, however that is my checklist and so I will make a ruling.
No, Zion Williamson just isn’t an enormous man.
For starters, he is 6-foot-6. He is an insignificant rebounder. He is not a rim protector. He can not credibly defend actual facilities. The truth that the Pelicans are both going to begin him at heart or at the very least play him important minutes at heart does not imply he is a middle. It means the Pelicans are type of screwed.
Alas, Williamson is a wing — an influence ahead, thus far, on the technical lineup card — however a penetrator who begins most of his possessions both initiating offense like an precise level guard or from perimeter slicing blocks. From there, sure, he has large inside benefits attributable to his energy and lower-center leverage that feeds into his explosive athleticism. Permit him to get his momentum going and it is a wrap.
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However bear in mind, Jalen Brunson additionally overpowers lots of his positional counterparts in paint, notably within the put up, however that does not make him an enormous man, both. Zion has positional benefits as a wing and he has main disadvantages as an enormous. You may have a look at it like that, too.
All of that is to say, once more, Zion is a wing, and barely a top-10 one at that, in line with our CBS Sports activities annual high 100 gamers checklist revealed earlier this week. Beneath is a positional breakout of that checklist with the highest 10 wings heading into the 2024-25 season, as voted on by our 10 NBA analysts.
10. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Prime 100 rank: 21
Williamson was as soon as once more sidelined with an harm when the Pelicans’ 2023-24 season ended, however this felt completely different. His absence within the playoffs was a bummer, not as a result of it prompted disagreeable discussions about his conditioning and dedication, however as a result of his play over the last few months had fully modified the dialog.
Williamson strained his hamstring as he made a floater over Anthony Davis to tie New Orleans’ play-in sport towards the Lakers in crunch time. The shot gave him 40 factors; on one of many largest levels of his profession, he had come by means of with considered one of his most interesting video games, main a fourth-quarter comeback that will fall brief after he checked out.
In the most effective form of his profession, Williamson confirmed that he may deal with heavy minutes whereas carrying a heavy playmaking load and competing defensively like by no means earlier than. He appeared in a career-high 70 regular-season video games, and, proper on the finish, he even took just a few leap photographs when opponents sagged off of him. Now all of the Pelicans are asking of him is to supply like an MVP candidate for a full season whereas they proceed making an attempt to place collectively a roster that may encompass him with the defenders and shooters they should make a leap. — James Herbert
Prime 100 rank: 20
George was lastly wholesome final season, when he reached the 70-game mark for the primary time since 2019. As soon as once more, although, the Clippers’ hopes have been dashed by an harm within the playoffs, this time to Kawhi Leonard. And so, 5 years after returning house to Los Angeles, George packed his luggage and signed with Philadelphia in free company. He is not the participant he was at his peak, and accidents will all the time be a priority, however he stays a terrific two-way wing who needs to be an ideal match alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. — Jack Maloney
Prime 100 rank: 19
A perennial top-10 scorer within the league. Mitchell registered profession highs in assists, rebounds and steals final season. He was sensational when Darius Garland was out and he assumed whole management of the offense because the lone playmaker. He’s nearly unstoppable when he will get going downhill as a pull-up shooter given his power, however his pull-up taking pictures percentages (35% general and 30% from 3) dipped significantly final season. — Brad Botkin
Prime 100 rank: 18
Although he was as soon as once more unable to remain wholesome within the playoffs, it is easy to neglect that Leonard was capable of play in 68 video games final season. For many of that point, he regarded each bit like among the best gamers within the league once more at 23 PPG and higher than a 62% true-shooting clip. He is nonetheless one of many deadliest pull-up shooters along with his capacity to separate late, as evidenced by his 1.2 factors per possession in isolation — the league’s most effective mark amongst all gamers with higher than a 15% isolation frequency. Over a two-month stretch from the flip of the calendar to the top of February, Leonard made 46% of his 3-pointers on virtually 5 makes an attempt per sport. — Brad Botkin
Prime 100 rank: 15
Almost a decade in the past, Brown was welcomed to the league with boos from Celtics followers upset that he was their choice at No. 3 within the 2016 NBA Draft. Now, he is a franchise icon and probably the most beloved athletes in Boston. He stamped his standing with a spectacular playoff run, by which he hit the 2 largest photographs: the game-tying 3-pointer within the waning seconds of Recreation 1 of the Japanese Convention finals and the game-sealing jumper in Recreation 3 of the Finals. He was named Japanese Convention finals MVP and Finals MVP. There aren’t so many jokes today about Brown’s left hand or $300M contract. — Jack Maloney
Prime 100 rank: 14
Booker has arguably grow to be probably the most underrated gamers within the league and among the many most effective. He is a killer within the mid-range, and if he will get sizzling, he is liable to drop 40+ factors on you, and he would not even must take very many 3s. He is the kind of plug-and-play man any championship-contending group would like to have, and final season, we lastly noticed Booker’s versatility after primarily taking part in level guard for a Suns group missing in that division. It resulted in a career-high yr in assists for Booker, displaying that not solely is he among the best taking pictures guards within the league, however you may as well put him among the many finest level guards, too. — Jasmyn Wimbish
Prime 100 rank: 10
Edwards jumped from twenty second on this checklist final yr to tenth this time round, which emphasizes his gorgeous ascension to stardom. He averaged career-highs throughout the board final season, made his first All-NBA look and led the Timberwolves to the Western Convention finals, upsetting the defending champion Nuggets en route. Early within the Wolves’ playoff run, there have been authentic comparisons — at the very least aesthetically — to Michael Jordan. Over the summer time, he reiterated his standing as one of many sport’s finest by taking part in a number one position in Workforce USA’s gold medal marketing campaign. — Jack Maloney
Prime 100 rank: 9
Durant stays fairly near the peak of his powers. Final season he averaged 27-6-5 on 41% 3-point taking pictures, and maybe most significantly, he performed in 75 video games — by far his highest mark since leaving Golden State. The have been rumors that he did not love the way in which he was being utilized by Frank Vogel. It will likely be fascinating to see what sort of distinction Mike Budenholzer makes when it comes to Durant’s spots and photographs and the way in which he receives the ball; i.e. in stationary positions or off extra of his most well-liked pin-down screens. Both approach, Durant was the most effective isolation scorer in basketball final season. — Brad Botkin
Prime 100 rank: 8
LeBron James just lately grew to become the oldest participant ever to win an MVP award in any competitors that includes lively NBA gamers when he was named essentially the most useful participant of the 2024 Olympics. This breaks a document that he himself set throughout the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Event. Certain, it is unreasonable to anticipate the approaching quadragenarian to be the NBA’s finest participant over the course of an 82-game season anymore, however make no mistake, in a smaller pattern, there nonetheless won’t be a single participant in all of basketball that evokes extra concern in his opponents than LeBron James. It isn’t clear what number of MVP awards of any selection are nonetheless left in his growing old physique, however when he must, he can nonetheless summon the entire ability and ferocity that received him his first. — Sam Quinn
Prime 100 rank: 7
In the end, Tatum is an NBA champion. Alongside the way in which he handed his idol, Kobe Bryant, for essentially the most playoff factors earlier than turning 27 and joined Larry Hen, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, LeBron James and Nikola Jokic as the one gamers to win a title whereas main their group in factors, rebounds and assists throughout the postseason. Tatum did not win the Japanese Convention finals or Finals MVP awards, however he was the driving power for Boston’s league-leading 18th championship. Few gamers, if any, are as well-rounded because the Celtics star, who’s considered one of simply three gamers to make All-NBA First Workforce in every of the final three seasons. — Jack Maloney
