2019 NBA Draft: 5 Reasons Atlanta Hawks Should Draft Zion Williamson
By Chris Guest
Star Power
Perhaps the most important way in which Zion would aid the Atlanta Hawks is with his massive name recognition. During his freshman season at Duke, Zion led SportsCenter almost every night, and a massive social media following was frequently sharing astonishing highlights of his exploits.
Once Zion gets drafted, it is almost guaranteed that his jersey will be among the top sellers in his first season in the league. Think about that. If the Atlanta Hawks were to miraculously nab the number one overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the team would be top of the mind for many casual fans due to the fact that the Hawks will land perhaps the best prospect since Anthony Davis (or maybe even since LeBron James).
Sure, the team’s already popular players such as Trae Young and John Collins might fall a bit by the wayside, but Zion’s presence would only magnify and amplify the brilliance of those two players – as he would be able to paper over their defensive deficiencies while also operating as a secondary ballhandler or insane alley-oop dunk finisher.
Though Collins and Trae are not quite up to Zion’s level of star power just yet, the team will have far more eyes on it going forward, which means a “rising tide (of Zion) would lift all boats.”