For legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson has the same “smarts” as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
Krzyzewski, who is stellar in his own right, had the opportunity to work alongside the greatest players in the game. On different occasions, he coached James, Bryant, Jordan, and Johnson in the Olympics. As such, he has seen how they prepare for a basketball game and play in the sport itself.
Based on his observations, what makes the aforementioned players great is that they're “smart in the moment” — something that he also observed in Williamson when he coached the Pelicans rookie in Duke.
“Zion is really smart. All the guys that you mentioned, [Magic, Kobe, Jordan], you’re not just talking about people who are smart off the court in preparation, they are smart in the moment that action is happening,” Krzyzewski said about the Pelicans rookie while speaking on The Herd with Colin Cowherd (via Will Leitner of FM 96.9 The Game).
“I had an interview three weeks ago where I talked about Kobe and LeBron and coaching them on the Olympic teams. They’re brilliant at the moment it’s happening, and that’s unusual. I can be smart during a timeout, but when you have somebody who is playing the game and is not just smart about his or her play but the play of a unit, boy, you have something and that’s the treasure. All those guys had it and Zion has it.”
Krzyzewski also weighed in on the Greatest of All Time discussion. For him, the skill to make the right play at the moment should also be one of the metrics.
“When people start comparing people, like ‘Who is the Greatest?’, a lot of times they don’t get into the area of what we’re talking about. The influence to make your teammates better at the moment is it happening is HUGE. All the guys mentioned have it and I think Zion has it too,” the legendary tactician added.
In just his rookie season with the Pelicans — which isn't even technically done yet — Zion Williamson has showcased why he was the first overall pick of the 2019 draft and the most hyped rookie since LeBron. In the years to come, he will hope to prove why Krzyzewski mentioned him in the same breath as the great ones.
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