Zion Williamson was named the number one high school basketball player in America. Zion will now enter Duke University as a freshman and for his first game, he matched up with the 6’10” Greg Oden – who is 14 years older than him.
Zion Williamson is slowly creeping into the territory of Greg Oden. Zion has a net worth of $1.8 million and Oden’s was $3.4 million.
Is it too soon to declare Zion Williamson a disappointment? The answer is no if former No. 1 pick Greg Oden is deemed a flop. Williamson, like Oden, was the first overall choice in the 2019 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. The former Duke star, like Oden, has spent the most of his NBA career on the bench.
Williamson has yet to suit up for the Pelicans this season. According to one account, he may need more surgery. He’ll be perilously near to Oden territory if that happens.
Zion Williamson may need more surgery.
On November 13, 2021, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans stands on the field before the start of an NBA game versus the Memphis Grizzlies at Smoothie King Center. | Getty Images/Sean Gardner .
Williamson hasn’t lived up to expectations since the Pelicans chose him over Ja Morant in the 2019 draft. With a torn meniscus in his right knee, he missed the first three months of his rookie season. After breaking his right foot in the summer, he hasn’t played a single game this season.
When Williamson has been on the floor, he has showed indications of greatness. The 6-foot-6, 284-pound big averaged 22.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 24 games during his first season. He appeared in 61 games last season, playing 33.2 minutes per game and averaging 27.0 points and 7.2 rebounds. He seemed to be the rising star that the Pelicans had predicted.
He hasn’t been on the court this year. According to Christian Clark of The Times-Picayune, Williamson may have to undergo yet another operation. According to Clark, Williamson will undergo another round of medical imaging on his foot within the next week or two, according to David Griffin, the Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations.
Williamson was meant to return to practice in December, but he started to have foot pain. For the time being, it’s a waiting game. Surgery is still a possibility, but no decision has been made.
Zion Williamson might be the next Zion Williamson if he misses the full season. Greg Oden is a professional basketball player.
Oden was a standout player at Ohio State in college. During his one season with the Buckeyes, the seven-foot center averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds while being a powerful presence in the middle. In each game, he blocked 3.3 shots.
He scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and blocked five shots in his first game against Valparaiso. After that, he started every game and led the Buckeyes to the NCAA championship game, where they lost to Florida.
Oden was chosen first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, barely ahead of Kevin Durant. Oden underwent knee surgery a month before the start of the 2007-08 season and missed the whole season. Over the following two years, he only played in 82 games due to various ailments. After missing the following three seasons, he attempted a return in 2013 with the Miami Heat. He only played 23 games before being forced to retire.
Williamson will have played 85 games in his first three years in the league if he misses the balance of the season. That’s just three games more than Oden. Despite being more productive than Oden when on the floor, Williamson might join Oden in the “bust” category if he can’t get back on the court soon.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN has a pessimistic outlook on Williamson’s comeback.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 5DxcJHJ46M
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst expressed a pessimistic assessment on Williamson’s chances of returning soon during a Thursday broadcast of Get Up.
“A few of weeks ago, the coaching staff and players were made aware that Zion would not be returning in the near future,” Windhorst stated. “It when they made the major deal for CJ McCollum at the trade deadline, they did so knowing there was a high chance Zion wouldn’t be able to play in the near term, if not the remainder of the season.”
Williamson and the Pelicans, who are 23-35 with one game left before the All-Star break, have had a difficult run.
When injuries, not bad productivity, have hindered Williamson and Oden, it’s difficult to label them “busts.” Oden, on the other hand, has been labeled a bust since retirement, whether justifiably or not. If he can’t go back on the floor, Williamson may be right there with him.
RELATED: There Were Busts, Drugs, Death, and Second-Round Steals in the 1986 NBA Draft
Zion Williamson is slowly creeping into Greg Oden territory. Zion has a double-double this season, and he’s only 19 years old. Zion is also leading the NCAA in blocks with 2.6 per game. Reference: greg oden big 3.
Related Tags
- greg oden injury
- greg oden net worth 2021
- greg oden career earnings
- greg oden draft
