LeBron James Offers Huge Praise for Zion Williamson

When LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency last July, his departure left a gaping hole in the team’s roster that may result in the Cavs earning the top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

That selection could very well end up becoming Duke University freshman standout Zion Williamson.

Last weekend, James traveled to Charlottesville, Va. to watch Williamson’s Blue Devils face the University of Virginia. He later spoke with ESPN to offer his very own enthusiastic scouting report:

“What strikes me? His agility and his quickness. For his size, how strong he is, to be able to move like the way he moves, he’s very impressive. I mean, everybody can see the athleticism. That’s obviously, that’s ridiculous. But the speed and the quickness that he moves [with] at that size is very impressive.”

James even admitted that he saw a bit of himself in Williamson:

“I can relate in a sense of he’s been covered since he was in high school and everybody is trying to compare him to the next this or the next that. But the best thing I’ve noticed is he seems like a good kid. He seems like he’s got his head on straight. And when they asked him about, you know, guys in our league and people who cover our league talking about, ‘If I was Zion Williamson, I would sit out for the rest of the year,’ he was like, ‘That’s [silly]. Why? I’m here to play basketball. I love to play basketball. I’m here at Duke, I’m having fun. These are my friends. I’m having a great time. Why would I sit out?’

“That’s the type of s— that strikes me. Everybody gets so caught up in the game itself. I look at the intangibles. And he seems like he has great intangibles and seems like a great kid.”

James also noted that watching Duke’s entire team was also a reason to come to the game:

“I love what those young boys are doing over there. I love what Zion and RJ [Barrett] and Cam [Reddish] and Tre [Jones], I love what they’re doing. So, [the trip] was a no-brainer. It was easy.”

One personal reason why James is so closely watching Duke’s fortunes is because his son, LeBron James Jr., reportedly has a scholarship waiting for him there.

The Cavs currently hold the third-worst record in the league at 12-46, better only than the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks. While it seems clear that the Cavs are not losing on purpose this season, making sure they stay near the bottom of the standings would be wise. That way, they could give themselves the best odds of getting an opportunity to select Williamson in the upcoming draft.