For those of you who believe that Zion Williamson is the chosen one to carry the NBA into the future, I regret to inform you this is not what the future holds.
Yes, Zion is a basketball phenom who at 6 foot 6 inches and 129 kilograms at times has made other grown men look like boys trying to play basketball against men, but the NBA has seen such a force before. Just rewind the tape back to the 2010-11 season, when a young Blake Griffin was exploding across our phones through the early social media world. In his first season playing he averaged 22-12-4 shooting around 50 per cent and made his first all-star appearance as a rookie. Throw in a unanimous rookie of the year title in there for good measure too.
Not only are his credentials elite, but Blake Griffin passed the ‘eye test’ with flying colours as we watched him embarrass NBA players with crazy finishes and dunks – sorry, Timofey Mozgov – with his once-in-a-generation-level athleticism that put basketball fans’ jaws straight to the ground.
By the end of the 2010-11 season Griffin was already seen as one of the most talented players in his position and was poised to take the NBA by storm.
Sound familiar yet?
Fast-forward to 2020 and we only got to see a glimpse of Zion Williamson’s NBA introduction. In just his first 19 games he already acclimatised himself to go an average 24-7-2, shooting nearly 60 per cent from the field while playing only 30 minutes a night. I know, right? Impressive stuff.
And just like a young Blake Griffin, Williamson’s high-flying ability has made it impossible for anyone in the world with the internet to not see at least one of Zion’s insane aerial feats on the basketball court. Zion has already been knighted by the sports media community as the future of the league, poised to take the NBA by storm.
But in midst of the endless highlight reels, insane dunks, jaw-dropping athletic feats – just like we saw for Blake Griffin – let me remind you of the often forgotten hard truth of being a professional sportsperson: the best ability is availability.
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Unfortunately for Zion Williamson, the future looks bleak if the tail of Blake Griffin can teach us anything, with there being some clear connections between these NBA stars.
During their first year in the NBA both suffered severe knee injuries, with Blake Griffin sitting out his whole first season with a broken left knee cap and Zion Willamson missing the first 13 weeks of the season with a torn right meniscus. Granted, injuries are part of sport whether we like it or not, and all players get an injury at some point, but there’s more to it.
From the 2014-15 season onwards Blake Griffin has failed to play in more than 70 games – except in 2018-19, when he played 75 – for a variety of different injury reasons, including quad problems, hand injuries, staph infections and most importantly a number of knee problems in both knees. Bad knees in the NBA spell trouble just from the nature of the sport, especially for someone like Blake Griffin, who relied so heavily on his athleticism.
We will never see what Blake Griffin could have been and achieved in the NBA, especially where those lob city LA Clippers teams would be ranked historically if it wasn’t for the fact they were constantly crippled by injury. Blake Griffin’s best NBA year is arguably his rookie year. There, I said it.
As I look at the Zion Williamson career retrospective glass, unfortunately it looks half empty, and we’ll see Zion’s NBA career following a similar path.
Many pundits have expressed concerns over Zion’s longevity in the game. Just imagine being Williamson’s knees. He weighs 129 kilograms, launches himself into orbit multiple times a game – with a 46.5-inch vertical leap – moving side to side with generational-level athleticism while running up and down a court over and over again for an expected 82 games a year, not including the play-offs. Consider too that the New Orleans Pelicans were reportedly attempting to change the way he walks and runs to take the pressure off his knees.
All this just in the first half of his rookie year.
All I’m saying is Zion may not be flying through the air catching Lonzo Ball lobs and bullying people in the paint for as long as we’d hoped. And that’s okay. While the NBA world has him and he’s still on our screens let’s all indulge in his brilliance and gasp when he takes flight, but most importantly let’s soak it in like every game is his last, because unfortunately we may be closer to Zion’s NBA peak than we would like.
At work
Roar Rookie
That Griffin 'dunk' over Mozgov is so overrated. There are plenty of people who have been well and truly posterised in a way more embarrassing way than Mosgov.
astro
Roar Rookie
While there are parallels, one thing you're overlooking is era...Blake was drafted 10yrs ago, and back then two major difference in the league existed: 1. The PF position - when Blake was drafted, the PF position was still going strong. Guys like Garnett, Duncan, Gasol etc all played alongside traditional big men centers and dominated the league. The game was more physical. In 2020, Zion will play as much center as he will PF, or even point forward, and he'll have a lot more space to work in than Blake did. So yes, they're similar 'type' players, but they play an almost completely different 'type' of game now which will help Zion 2. Player health - today's NBA takes a significantly different approach to player health than 10yrs ago. Medicine has improved. 'Load management' is commonplace. The Pelicans will manage Zions workload and build his strength back up and have him in better shape. In Blake's first year back after injury, he started and played all 82 games and averaged 38mins a game. Fair to assuem this wont be the case for Zion
Lara
Guest
Isn’t he taller....1.98 m according to his bio. Anyway the kid has had injuries, but looks fully recovered, not to say his knees won’t pack up like a lot of basketball players, me included. If the kid is managed properly, he should have a great career. BG career isn’t bad n he is not finished. ZW might be lucky enough to have a decent team around him. The Pelicans was making a late run to the playoffs before C 19. The team isn’t bad, in fact it has a lot of upside n it is young. ZW is a mobile baby Shack .....power forward, there is a lot to like so far . Always liked BG .....I have him in my Tuesday night team.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Did you see that tomahawk dunk LeBron did the other day?
jameswm
Roar Guru
It’s a different type of athleticism though. Zion is 3 inches shorter but 20kg heavier. Different type of strain on the body.
ZacM
Roar Rookie
Agreed, Zion's game is a lot more multi-dimensional than Blake Griffin's was at that time of his career and I believe Zion will continue to evolve and become an even more well rounded player. However, I am more making the comparison between them both relying heavily on their athleticism. Hence I worry Zion is going to be crippled by injuries the same way Blake was. So I believe we are more likely to see Zion's peak in the next 2,3 or 4 seasons which is much different to most NBA stars hitting it around their late 20's, early 30's years. But I hope i'm wrong because you're right, he seems like a hard worker and a good learner. Coupled with his athletic ability if he stays healthy, he will be a NBA powerhouse no doubt
ZacM
Roar Rookie
My point was we saw Blake Griffin's best NBA playing years from the age of 20-24 and I feel Zion is gonna be extremely similar to Griffin in that regard; unlike most NBA players hitting their prime during their late 20's, early 30's just from the nature of the way they play the game alongside their tolerance to injuries. But no doubt the league has learnt a lot about load management since Blake Griffin's rookie year and I really hope they get it right with Zion. But I still have doubts in his longevity as an NBA player. I hope i'm wrong because you're right he has the potential to wreak havoc in the league for sure
Barabbus
Guest
I don’t think it’s the right comparison. Zion is also a playmaker. And a great defender. He might not be able to maintain the amazing athleticism throughout his career but has a heap of upside in other areas. Look at how LeBron developed. I’m backing him to be a force for a good while.
Cram
Guest
Lol, Blake has never been a small forward
jameswm
Roar Guru
He's not really like Blake Griffin though. Griffin is lighter and a small forward. Williamson is a lot more powerful and can wreak havoc without leaving the ground too - like Malone or Barkley from when I used to watch. His frame will put strain no his joints, no doubt. But we can't say in advance how they will hold up. He suffers from too many turnovers, not an uncommon rookie thing. His game smarts aren't bad overall though, and I think he's a pretty good learner. If he can keep improving his ball security and 3-point range, he can really be a powerhouse.
Samuel Laffy
Roar Guru
Closing with a line saying we're closer to his peak than not after he's played just 19 games is one hell of a stretch. I dare say Zion will be a force for quite a while - especially if Pelicans go down the 'load management' path that's been increasingly popular for teams. 28-30 minutes a game is enough for him to wreak havoc, and that could be more if they cut his load to 65-70 regular season games - allowing him to shine in play-offs, etc.
JGK
Roar Guru
Yep, it’s gotta be a big risk for him. The season break might have come at just the right time for him.