Zion Williamson’s Showed Off His Vertical And An Improved Jumper In His Duke Debut

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Duke freshman Zion Williamson entered his (most likely one-and-done) season in the collegiate ranks with an already impressive reputation. He’d put together one of the most jaw-dropping high school mixtapes we’ve ever seen, which consisted primarily of the types of jams typically reserved for an NBA dunk contest.

Basically, he was already a legend when arrived on campus in Durham this summer, and that legend only continued to grow, quite literally in his case as he weighed in at a truly astonishing 285 lbs. If that wasn’t enough strike terror in the hearts of anyone unfortunate enough to match up against him, Williamson proved that, despite his increased mass, his otherworldly hops were still very much intact when he threw down this unreal free-throw line dunk with relative ease during practice earlier this week.

Yet, despite his truly formidable size and athleticism, there was still the lingering question of whether he has the full basketball repertoire to render him an elite, next-level talent. If his first college game is any indication, the answer is a resounding yes. In a preseason win over Ryerson on Wednesday night, Williamson showed off the full arsenal.

Williamson finished with 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, a few of which were striking in terms of the ease with which he was able to just overpower his opponents. He also went 4-of-5 from downtown with a much more fluid form on his stroke from the outside. And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention this insane put-back slam.

Granted, it’s just one game, and a preseason one at that, but the early returns are looking good for Duke fans.

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