CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ One of the most talked about players heading into NBA All-Star weekend isn't even in the NBA.
Zion Williamson, who is currently playing basketball at Duke some 140 miles north of the Spectrum Center, doesn't yet qualify to be in the league's Rising Star Challenge. Still, that doesn't keep NBA fans _ especially Knicks fans _ from fantasizing about what it would be like to have Williamson represent their team in that game next year.
With his strength and mature body, the 18-year-old Williamson is drawing comparisons to LeBron James when he came out of high school. James was intrigued enough by what he has heard to fly down to Charlottesville, Va., last Saturday to catch Duke's game against Virginia. He told ESPN on Friday that he was impressed.
"What strikes me? His agility and his quickness," James said of the 6-7, 285-pound Duke star. "For his size, how strong he is, to be able to move like the way he moves, he's very impressive. I mean, everybody can see the athleticism. That's obviously, that's ridiculous. But the speed and the quickness that he moves (with) at that size is very impressive."
Having endured so much losing this season, Knicks fans are pinning their hopes on somehow winning what is now being referred to as the Zion Sweepstakes. The Knicks (11-47) entered the All-Star break with the second-worst record in the NBA. If they can finish the year with one of the three worst records in the league, they will have a 14 percent chance winning the draft lottery.
Kevin Knox, the Knicks' top draft pick last summer, said he hasn't thought specifically about what it would like to be a teammate of Williamson's. Still, he can't help but be a big fan of his and what he might bring to the league.
"A lot of people say he can't shoot, can't do all this. But the other things he does for the game is really good. He can rebound, defend, he can really pass _ which is really underrated for him. So I think he's going to be really great," Knox told reporters at the media session before Friday night's Rising Stars game. "But yeah, it's crazy how fast he moves and how agile he is for his weight. So it's definitely crazy, how strong he is, the way he can move. Especially him being that big."
Knox, who was an injury replacement for Lonzo Ball, was playing for Team USA Friday night. Team USA's coach? Kyrie Irving, the soon-to-be free agent from Boston who has also been a focal point of Knicks fans' fantasies during this difficult season. With room for two max contracts this offseason and not much to cheer about now, fans have been dreaming about a free-agent talent infusion that includes at least one big-time veteran such as Irving, Kevin Durant or Anthony Davis.
Knox, 20, has had an up-and-down season. He has struggled singe earning Eastern Conference Rookie of the month in December, shooting 32.4 percent in his last 15 games. Still, there are flashes where fans can see that he has big-time potential. One of those happened Wednesday night when he landed a spectacular dunk over the 76ers' Ben Simmons.
Knox said he long dreamed of being a part of NBA All-Star weekend, but is now looking to the future.
"I just want to get better as a player," Knox said. "I just want to get better both ends of the basketball floor, get more efficient from the field and get my rebounding up. I think that's something I can do a lot better. Get some more wins hopefully. Get some more wins for the team."
Just not too many wins.
