Zion Williamson and the 20 best one-and-done players of all time

Zion Williamson and the 20 best one-and-done players in college basketball history

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 14: Teammates Zion Williamson #1 and RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils react against the Syracuse Orange during their game in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 31: Duke Blue Devils forward Zion Williamson (1) dribbles past Michigan State Spartans forward Kenny Goins (25) during a Div 1 Men’s championship – elite eight game between Duke and Michigan State, on March 31, 2019, at Capital One Arena, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

5. Zion Williamson, Duke, 2018-2019

We have finally reached Zion’s place on the list, and it’s impressive that he is this high on the list of all-time one-and-done players without even taking the floor for an NBA team. That is a tremendous credit to what Williamson did in college this year, where he was the most dominant player on the best regular season team.

It’s hard to believe that Barrett entered college with more hype than Williamson, but that changed when the Blue Devils started playing games. Williamson put up tremendous numbers, leading the Blue Devils in scoring (22.6 ppg, tied with Barrett), rebounding (8.9 rpg), steals (2.1 steals a night), and blocks (1.8 a game).

The Blue Devils were a different team without Williamson on the floor, going just 3-3 when he was sidelined with a knee injury, because of his ridiculous efficiency on both ends of the floor. Williamson knocked down 68 percent of his shots, including 33.8 percent from beyond the arc (a higher percentage than both Barrett and Cam Reddish), and was such a force on the interior that he altered opposing game plans.

While Williamson’s impressive physique has drawn comparisons to LeBron James, other notable projections have included blends of Draymond Green, Charles Barkley, Blake Griffin, and (as Jon Rothstein said on WFAN recently) Anthony Mason on steroids. There is no doubt Williamson will be the first pick in June’s draft, and if he lives up to his massive potential he could shoot right to the top of this list.