Zion Williams is the name on everyone’s lips at the moment after he was scooped up in his freshman season with Duke, and picked as first draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. This has got everyone talking about both the player and the university and so we caught up with Carter Boyle Duke University student, to find out how Duke keeps producing, how good Zion is and who are the best to have come out of the university.
Duke’s Approach
Carter says that the reason why Duke University continues to provide some of the NBAs hottest talents is because of the culture which exists there around sports. This university doesn’t have a big party scene and most students get their heads down and work very hard, when the sports teams are playing however, that is when everything stops. Boyle also talked about how the university always attracts the top coaches to nurture the young talent, which is just what Mike Kryzewski has done in his era.
How Good Is Zion?
Zion Williamson’s size, dexterity, power, skill and knowledge of the game is that of someone 10 years his senior and this is why he was in such high demand, and why he was picked up in his freshman year having played just a handful of games for the Blue Devils. If he realizes his potential, which remember is not always guaranteed, then we will be talking about him in the future, in the same breath as we talk about Lebron, Kobe and Michael. Naturally there is a lot to come before he reaches that level but if he continues on the career trajectory that he is on right now, he will reach the top and he will be remembered as one of the greatest to have ever played the game.
Best Players
There is a wealth of talent which has come out of Duke University and these guys are widely considered to be the most successful players who went from the university and into the NBA.
Grant Hill – 16 years in the league, 5 time All-Star
Elton Brand – Solid power forward, 17 years in the league, 2 All-Star performances
Kyrie Irving – 1st draft for Cavs, 6 years into his career, already has 1 Championship
Luol Deng – 1st draft for Bulls, average of 15.1 points and 6.3 rebounds, 2 All-Star appearances
Carlos Boozer – 2 All-Star appearances and average of 16.2 ppg and 9.6 rebounds
These are just a handful of the many names which we could have chosen from in terms of who is the best player to come out of Duke University, and in the not too distant future we will have a new name for that list, and that is the phenom Zion Williamson.
The more talent that comes through the university the more that younger players wish to go there, and the cycle of greatness will continue.