NBA Draft 2019: 6 things we learned from Zion Williamson's pre-draft interview

Bob Hille

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NBA Draft 2019: 6 things we learned from Zion Williamson's pre-draft interview image

When his name is called Thursday night, and it will be called first in the 2019 NBA Draft, Zion Williamson isn't sure how he'll react.

It's the one uncertainty he admitted to before an assembled throng of reporters Wednesday at the league's pre-draft media availability in midtown Manhattan.

"Honestly, I don't know. I don't know how I'm going to react," he said. "I don't know if I'm going to cry or have this giant smile on my face.

"We'll see tomorrow night. But I know I'm very excited about it."

Outside of that admission, Williamson offered a mix of self-assessment, draft scouting and, yes, humor as he patiently and calmly answered a half-hour's worth of questions from the media. There were not huge reveals. But there were a few telling comments.

Here's a half-dozen things we learned from Zion Williamson on Wednesday:

1. He's not just a physical specimen.

You've no doubt seen the vast array of rim-rattling dunks, altered shots made from awkward angles and, yes, his head rim-high on the defensive end.

But the physical side is only part of the story.

"One thing I'm good at is just my will to win," Williamson said. "I feel like when I want to win, I'll do things, I'll do whatever I need to do to win."

2. He's not "the next."

As the projected No. 1 pick (he was careful to couch most of his answers with "if" he's the top pick), Williamson is hearing a lot of comparisons with NBA superstars who've come before him. That's fine, but he's out to cut his own incomparable path.

"Honestly, with the comparison stuff, it's nice, it's cool, but I don't look into it," he said. "I just look to be myself. I'm not trying to be nobody.

"I'm just trying to be the first Zion."

3. He's not feeling any pressure as the projected top pick.

Seemingly relaxed and frequently smiling during the 30-minute interview with a densely packed group of reporters, Williamson appeared thoroughly at ease with the world he's in now and the one he is about to be the center of.

"I don't really see the pressure," he said. "I'm doing what I love to do, and that's play basketball. I don't try to live up to nobody's expectations. They can set them there, I don't try to live up to them.

"I just try to be me, be the best version of myself that I can be."

4. He thinks former Duke teammate R.J. Barrett will shine in the NBA …

But enough about Zion. The pre-draft media availability was in New York, after all. So, just spitballing here, if the Knicks were to draft Barrett, would he live up to fans' high expectations?  

"R.J. is cold-blooded. He's built for people doubting him or telling him he's not ready. R.J. is built for that," Williamson said. "I got to see it first-hand at Duke. I don't doubt R.J. in the slightest. If he gets drafted out here, he's going to come out here and handle his business.

"I think they'll get a great player."

5. … and former AAU teammate (and fellow South Carolinian) Ja Morant is a revelation.

Williamson recounted Morant's ability to make a pass that would surprise even its intended target: Williamson.

"I'd make backdoor cuts, and I didn't think he would see me," Williamson recalled. "But he'd put it in the perfect spot.

"Can I sit here and say I knew Ja would be this good? I can't say that. I knew he'd be good but not to this level. For him to be here and to be like a top-three pick, it means a lot to me, it means a lot to the state of South Carolina."

6. He did not order the kid's meal at Commander’s Palace.

Williams ate at the world-renowned (and James Beard Award-winning) New Orleans restaurant with Pelicans brass last week as a part of his pre-draft visit.

“I’ve been seeing some people saying I got chicken tenders," he said. "No, that was my 5-year-old brother that did that. I got fried shrimp with some mashed potatoes.”

Bob Hille

Bob Hille Photo

Bob Hille, a senior content consultant for The Sporting News, has been part of the TSN team for most of the past 30 years, including as managing editor and executive editor. He is a native of Texas (forever), adopted son of Colorado, where he graduated from Colorado State, and longtime fan of “Bull Durham” (h/t Annie Savoy for The Sporting News mention).