Deandre Ayton or Zion Williamson, who has the higher NBA upside?

The 2019 NBA Draft is complete and Zion Williamson was selected as the No.1 pick, but does he have more of an NBA upside then Deandre Ayton? Time to breakdown each player to find out.

A year ago Deandre Ayton became the first Arizona Wildcat ever to be selected as a No.1 pick in the NBA Draft. This time around, it was former Duke Blue Devils phenom Zion Williamson selected as the No.1 pick by the New Orleans Pelicans. Both of these players were unanimous choices to be the first overall pick because of their skill set and NBA upside.

Each player dominated on the college level as expected. Neither though were able to help their team into the Final Four and win a national championship. They did though set college records and accumulate year end awards.

In college, Ayton lived up to his expectations. At 7 foot 1, what he did on the court was incredible. How he ran up and down the court, handled the ball, his footwork down low on offense and defense, ability to pass out of the double team or even tripled team, variety of shots inside the arc, he had the whole package. The only part of his game he didn’t really develop at Arizona was the three-point shot.

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Ayton’s transition to adjusting to the NBA game took a little bit in the beginning, but by season end he was fully adjusted. There is still plenty for him to work on and improve upon, but he has a lot of potential to be a NBA superstar because of his size and what he is already been able to do his rookie season.  Once he starts to develop a long range shot, improves footwork on defense and improves overall decision making, he will be one of the top performers in the league.

Williamson was the main headline of college basketball last season. His massive social media following, combined with his dunking abilities made him an immediate superstar on the college level. Plus, playing for the Duke Blue Devils put him in the national spotlight all season long. ESPN even had a Zion Williamson cam during some of his games.

He did average 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists per game and shot 68% from the field. The majority of his shots were layups, dunks or put backs, which contributed to high shooting percentage. There were moments during the season in which he showed he could handle the ball and hit the jumper, which he will need to do more of in the NBA. Williamson did provide many ESPN Top 10 highlights for the Blue Devils, but in the end it wasn’t enough to get them into the Final Four and win a national championship.

There is plenty for Williamson to work on to become a true NBA superstar. One of those being his shooting. He does have the ability to finish down low with ease and, but at the next level he will be forced to expand his shooting range. Not to take anything away from Williamson, he does have incredible leaping abilities to block shots and throw it down with authority, but that can only get you so far.

Teams will have scouted his offensive capabilities and Williamson will need to adjust what the defense presents. The potential is there for Williamson to become an NBA superstar, but it’s just a matter of time to see how he handles the pressure of being the No.1 Draft pick.

So who has the higher NBA upside, Ayton or Williamson? Taking into consideration they play different positions, one player has already played in the league for one year and each have different strengths and weakness, the argument could be made that both have the potential to do great things in the NBA.

Time will tell.

At Zona Zealots, we look forward to the continue growth of Deandre Ayton in the NBA and interested to see how Zion Williamson will do in his first year. Good luck to both and Bear Down!