LAS VEGAS – As college basketball’s biggest star last season, Zion Williamson was the subject of non-stop attention, which may sound glamorous off the court, but on the hardwood, it meant being the focal point of every opposing defense. With no illegal-defense rule in the NCAA, defenses can clog the paint at will in an attempt to smother elite players – a strategy that doesn't work in the NBA, due to the shooting ability and level of talent.
When Williamson joined his New Orleans summer league teammates Tuesday for practice in UNLV’s cavernous Thomas & Mack Center, the 6-foot-7 rookie often had plenty of room to work in the paint, also partly due to the deeper three-point line, which prevents defenders from sagging too far off their man.