Chicago Bulls: Analyzing Zion Williamson’s weaknesses

Zion Williamson is undoubtedly the best prospect in the 2019 NBA Draft, but nobody’s perfect. What are some of his weaknesses?

If the Chicago Bulls win the NBA Draft Lottery on May 14, it’ll be one of the best days in recent history for Bulls fans because it means they’ll have a chance at landing the transcendent superstar that is Zion Williamson.

Williamson had a stellar freshman season at Duke. He averaged 22.6 points per game on an insane 68% shooting from the field to go along with 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks. He teamed up with three other sensational freshmen in Durham: Tre Jones, Cam Reddish and R.J. Barrett. Despite being on arguably the most loaded college team of all time, Zion was head and shoulders above the rest of the youngsters in blue.

We all know what Zion can do. He’s jaw-dropping in transition, he can get to the rim with ease (even when defenses are doing all they can to keep him away from the rim), he can rebound on both offense and defense, he’s a skilled passer and he’s an incredible shot blocker. How do his strengths compare to his weaknesses, though?

For starters, Williamson isn’t a great shooter. His outside shooting got better over the course of his freshman campaign, but he still shot 33.8% for the season. That’s not good, especially considering he was often left wide open.

The good news, though? 33.8% isn’t terrible. In fact, it’s better than Andrew Wiggins’ career 3-point percentage.

Yes, I know that Andrew Wiggins isn’t a role model for 3-point shooting, and yes, I know that the NBA 3-point line is farther from the basket than the college 3-point line. The moral of the story, though, is Zion’s shooting isn’t a lost cause. I mean, at least he’s shooting them. The same can’t be said for a certain point guard in Philly.

Zion’s 3-point shooting is comparable to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s. Giannis’ biggest strength is getting to the rim, so that’s exactly what opposing defenses try to stop him from doing. They often opt into leaving him wide open for 3-point attempts. Defenses will likely treat Zion the same way once he enters the NBA. But as long as he’s willing to take open threes, his shooting shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Plus, he’s still only 18 years old. There’s a lot of time left to develop that jumper.

Another thing that Williamson sometimes struggles with his staying disciplined on defense. This often gets overlooked when people watch Zion. His other-worldly athleticism allows him to make up for some mistakes he makes on that end of the court. A good NBA coach should be able to help him in this area. But even if he doesn’t get much better, it’s not like he’s bad, he’s just not perfect.

Defensive discipline and outside shooting are Williamson’s two biggest weaknesses, but neither one is horrible.

All in all, Williamson is one of the most electrifying prospects in the history of basketball, and his weaknesses won’t (and shouldn’t) scare anybody away.