Zion Williamson could be the New Orleans Pelicans’ opening-night beginning heart. Does that make him a “huge” in at present’s extra obscure positional dictionary? Affordable minds can disagree on this, I suppose, however that is my listing and so I’ll make a ruling.
No, Zion Williamson will not be an enormous man.
For starters, he is 6-foot-6. He is an insignificant rebounder. He is not a rim protector. He can’t 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 sort of screwed.
Alas, Williamson is a wing — an influence ahead, so 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 chopping blocks. From there, sure, he has huge inside benefits as a result of 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 keep in mind, Jalen Brunson additionally overpowers lots of his positional counterparts in paint, significantly within the publish, 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 possibly can take 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 accordance with our CBS Sports activities annual high 100 gamers listing printed earlier this week. Under is a positional breakout of that listing 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
High 100 rank: 21
Williamson was as soon as once more sidelined with an damage 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 previous couple of months had utterly 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 phases of his profession, he had come via with one in all his best video games, main a fourth-quarter comeback that will fall brief after he checked out.
In the very best form of his profession, Williamson confirmed that he might 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 a number of soar pictures 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 attempting to place collectively a roster that may encompass him with the defenders and shooters they should make a leap. — James Herbert
High 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 damage within the playoffs, this time to Kawhi Leonard. And so, 5 years after returning dwelling to Los Angeles, George packed his baggage and signed with Philadelphia in free company. He is not the participant he was at his peak, and accidents will at all times be a priority, however he stays a terrific two-way wing who must be an ideal match alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. — Jack Maloney
High 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 just about unstoppable when he will get going downhill as a pull-up shooter given his drive, however his pull-up capturing percentages (35% total and 30% from 3) dipped significantly final season. — Brad Botkin
High 100 rank: 18
Although he was as soon as once more unable to remain wholesome within the playoffs, it is simple to neglect that Leonard was in a position to play in 68 video games final season. For many of that point, he seemed each bit like top-of-the-line 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 together with his skill to separate late, as evidenced by his 1.2 factors per possession in isolation — the league’s best mark amongst all gamers with higher than a 15% isolation frequency. Over a two-month stretch from the flip of the calendar to the tip of February, Leonard made 46% of his 3-pointers on virtually 5 makes an attempt per sport. — Brad Botkin
High 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 one of the vital beloved athletes in Boston. He stamped his standing with a spectacular playoff run, by which he hit the 2 largest pictures: the game-tying 3-pointer within the waning seconds of Sport 1 of the Japanese Convention finals and the game-sealing jumper in Sport 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
High 100 rank: 14
Booker has arguably turn into one of the vital underrated gamers within the league and among the many best. 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 should take very many 3s. He is the kind of plug-and-play man any championship-contending staff would like to have, and final season, we lastly noticed Booker’s versatility after primarily taking part in level guard for a Suns staff missing in that division. It resulted in a career-high yr in assists for Booker, exhibiting that not solely is he top-of-the-line capturing guards within the league, however you can too put him among the many greatest level guards, too. — Jasmyn Wimbish
High 100 rank: 10
Edwards jumped from twenty second on this listing 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 legit comparisons — at the very least aesthetically — to Michael Jordan. Over the summer time, he reiterated his standing as one of many sport’s greatest by taking part in a number one position in Workforce USA’s gold medal marketing campaign. — Jack Maloney
High 100 rank: 9
Durant stays fairly near the peak of his powers. Final season he averaged 27-6-5 on 41% 3-point capturing, 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 attention-grabbing to see what sort of distinction Mike Budenholzer makes when it comes to Durant’s spots and pictures and the way in which he receives the ball; i.e. in stationary positions or off extra of his most popular pin-down screens. Both approach, Durant was the very best isolation scorer in basketball final season. — Brad Botkin
High 100 rank: 8
LeBron James just lately turned the oldest participant ever to win an MVP award in any competitors that includes lively NBA gamers when he was named essentially the most invaluable participant of the 2024 Olympics. This breaks a file that he himself set throughout the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Event. Positive, it is unreasonable to count on the approaching quadragenarian to be the NBA’s greatest participant over the course of an 82-game season anymore, however make no mistake, in a smaller pattern, there nonetheless may not be a single participant in all of basketball that evokes extra worry in his opponents than LeBron James. It is not clear what number of MVP awards of any selection are nonetheless left in his ageing physique, however when he must, he can nonetheless summon the entire ability and ferocity that gained him his first. — Sam Quinn
High 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 Chook, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, LeBron James and Nikola Jokic as the one gamers to win a title whereas main their staff 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 drive for Boston’s league-leading 18th championship. Few gamers, if any, are as well-rounded because the Celtics star, who’s one in all simply three gamers to make All-NBA First Workforce in every of the final three seasons. — Jack Maloney
