When the basketball world converged on Las Vegas last week _ not just coaches and executives and scouts and reporters, but a who's who of NBA stars packed into the front rows _ it was for one main attraction. Everyone was there to see Zion Williamson.
But Williamson's stay lasted just long enough for a pregame layup line of dunks and nine minutes of action before he was done for the summer league. A knee-to-knee collision put him on the bench at first and then out of action for the rest of the session in what the New Orleans Pelicans described as a precautionary measure.
That brief showing didn't exactly reinforce the notion that he is a generational talent. One Western Conference coach shook his head and noted, "He's not in college anymore. He wants to bull his way in _ you saw Mitchell Robinson just say, 'OK, I'll meet you up there' and block his shot with no fear." An Eastern Conference scout said, "His conditioning was not what you want to see from a kid trying to make an impression."
