Zion Williamson's opening statement in his Duke debut Tuesday night seemed strong enough to persuade nearly any NBA team to tank for the electrifying freshman forward.
The 18-year-old top NBA prospect dropped 28 points in a 118-84 rout of Kentucky in the Champions Classic, creating highlight after highlight in a memorable premiere. And the Knicks, like every team in the running for a high draft pick in 2019, were surely paying attention.
Williamson combined with fellow Blue Devils freshmen Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett to score a whopping 83 points. The trio is slated to dominate draft talk through June, but it's the undeniable power in Williamson that has earned him most of the spotlight.
Here it is, Knicks fans, your moment of Zion (via @espn) pic.twitter.com/h5ZKO6bFTv
- SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) November 7, 2018
With an Aaron Judge-like build at 6-foot-7 and 285 pounds, Williamson is a constant inside threat with ballhandling and dunking ability that makes him nearly unstoppable.
In Tuesday's blowout, the South Carolina native went 11-for-13 from the floor with seven rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. He also hit his lone three-point attempt. And that was all against John Calipari's Wildcats -- a No. 2-seeded team.