It’s not often a star of this type comes along. With all the hype and buzz around his name, NBA teams want a piece of the prize. Zion Williamson has been putting up impressive numbers all while leading Duke to the three seed in the NCAA.

Averaging 21.6 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game and 2.2 assists per game has led Zion to the top of the draft boards among experts. Most mock drafts have Zion going at the number one pick in next years draft. It may be due to his impressive 6 foot 7, 284 lb frame,  or the fact that he has a 40.5” vertical jump at nearly 300 lbs.

Zion puts on a show every time he steps on the court. His flashy dunks put him on ESPN regularly, or his massive blocks sending the ball flying across the court. NBA teams have taken notice of him, and some postulate that NBA teams are intentionally tanking to get him first in the draft.

The NBA draft works in a fashion where the worst teams have a higher chance of grabbing the first pick. Although not guaranteed, the team with the worst record usually succeeds in getting the first pick.

Tanking for the worst record overall may seem smart to some teams, especially this late into the season when they have no hopes of making the playoffs. Adding a once in a generation talent like Zion could drastically help the organization not only in wins, but drawing more people out to their games.

Teams like Knicks, Suns, Cavaliers, Bulls and Hawks could be accused of tanking. Many fans get frustrated when their teams tank because not only is it illegal to do in the NBA but the team is intentionally losing games.

Overall, tanking for a player like Zion is frowned upon by some fans, but could be a good idea in the long run by having a generational type of talent on their team. Zion Williamson would add an instant boost to fan support, as he is the most hyped player to come out of college in years.