Patrick Semansky/Associated Press
Duke Blue Devils star Zion Williamson will not have the opportunity to play in the Final Four following Sunday’s loss to the Michigan State Spartans, but he may have the chance to play for his country.
On Monday, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported USA Basketball plans to “gauge” Williamson’s interest in playing in the FIBA World Cup during the summer. Stein noted formal discussions likely will not happen until closer to June’s NBA draft when the freshman playmaker has an agent.
He noted there is a precedent in place for such a move:
Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
@FIBAWC But the precedent was set to make room for a special talent like Williamson in 2012 — Anthony Davis was given a roster spot on @USABasketball’s Olympic team that summer before he had played in a pro game
It was clear throughout Williamson’s freshman season that he was a notch above the vast majority of the competition he saw in college. His physicality made him nearly impossible to stop in one-on-one scenarios, and his athleticism allowed him to blow past defenders in transition or isolation sets to set up his highlight-reel dunks.
Playing for Team USA would give him the opportunity to test his game against high-level international competition and see how he stacks up with some of his NBA teammates.
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The widely presumed No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft has the potential to be a franchise building block for a decade-plus for whichever team drafts him after averaging 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game on his way to being named the ACC Player of the Year.
Anthony Davis also went on to be the No. 1 pick and is now one of the best players in the entire NBA, but he wasn’t a significant contributor on the 2012 Olympics team right out of college with so much talent around him.
He averaged the fewest points per game (3.7) of the entire 12-man roster that won the gold medal and included players such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
Williamson could add a FIBA gold medal of his own if he does play for Team USA before he even steps foot on the floor for an NBA regular-season contest.
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