The idea of being drafted by the Knicks is comical to Duke’s freshman phenom.
The New York Knicks are once again a laughing stock. For free agents and potential draft picks, they are like the plague. This time, it was Duke’s super freshman Zion Williamson who clowned the franchise while sitting in a Madison Square Garden locker room after his Blue Devils won a 69-58 defensive gem over Texas Tech on Thursday.
Zion Williamson Duke vs Texas Tech-Full Highlights/12.20.18/ 17pts 13reb https://t.co/N19i009EXn @YouTube
— Γ.sαcΩ (@RyoRyo719) December 21, 2018
Williamson had 17 points, 13 rebounds and a couple more aerial highlights, but the leader for Naismith Player of the Year fouled out and was limited to 25 minutes.
Zion Williamson put on a show in warmups. Amazing athlete. pic.twitter.com/CgrseUja4h
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) December 20, 2018
Seeing him live in the Garden had to excite Knicks fans. If the squad keeps losing and catches a few breaks, New York could potentially draft Williamson in 2019 and totally flip the fortunes of the franchise.
However, after hearing his response to a reporter asking if he wanted to play for the Knicks, New York fans shouldn’t be too optimistic about getting Williamson.
Zion Williamson laughed when asked if he wanted to play for the @nyknicks after making his MSG debut tonight 😂
(via @MikeAScotto) pic.twitter.com/qLqNgGsM13
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 21, 2018
I don’t know what to take from that. Could it be that while Zion respects the history of the franchise (He did say Bernard King was his favorite player), like most people he can’t stand owner James Dolan or the thought of being associated with a perennial loser.
To this generation of millenials, the Knicks are the Los Angeles Clippers of the mid to late ’80s; a franchise no player wants to be associated with.
At least, that’s the vibe I got from the 18-year-old Williamson’s response. He tried to clean it up a bit by passing the mic to his teammate RJ Barrett and saying he’d be willing to play anywhere he’s drafted.
The initial response was too authentic to play nice after. That smirky stare down with teammates spoke loudly about his unfavorable opinion of the Knicks.
As it turns out, Duke’s win last night was another loss for a Knicks franchise that just can’t get a break.
