New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson is only 19-years-old but already has a signature move that is nearly unstoppable in the paint.
No one really knew what to expect when Zion Williamson made his debut for the New Orleans Pelicans.
He was wearing a large knee brace and there was speculation that he was out of shape, overweight and that the Pelicans may be foolish to let him come back at all.
It didn’t take long for Zion Williamson to prove his doubters wrong.
He dominated from the get-go, unleashing a combination of power and leaping ability that is rarely seen in any sport, especially for a guy who weighs 285 lbs.
There are part of Zion’s game that are raw and need refinement; he could use a post move that doesn’t involve just bowling people over, he needs to develop more range on his shot, his handles and passing can improve and like all rookies, he has a lot to learn about defense.
But the things that Zion Williamson does well can’t be taught, as you can’t coach someone into having a 45-inch vertical leap.
This leaping ability has proven to be especially useful on the offensive glass, where Zion is often able to corral his own misses and slam it back home before most defenders even known what is happening.
This is possible because of his ridiculously fast second jump, where Zion is able to take a shot and get back up faster than anyone else to collect the miss.
The double jump is part science, part myth and can be Zion Williamson’s signature offensive move for the New Orleans Pelicans, at least in the early stages of his career.
Zion doesn’t need to be Hakeem Olajuwon and would be smart to cultivate a move that takes advantage of what he does best, which is jump higher and faster than just about anyone we’ve ever seen.
The Science Behind the Zion Williamson’s Double Jump
Zion Williamson was a leaping legend long before he was drafted first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans.
Zion set the all-time Duke basketball record for the vertical leap, measured at an astounding 45 inches, which seems to defy the laws of physics when you look at the size of the guy.
Not only can Zion jump out of the gym on his first leap, but tests involving his second leap showed incredible results.
One of these tests is called the “drop jump test” in which the athlete leaps on top of a box, drops off, then tries to jump back up as fast and high as he can.
Zion was tested by sports scientist Dr. Marcus Elliott, who was in awe of what he witnessed according to a report by Baxter Holmes of ESPN.
The test,
"“recorded that he had created 4,900 newtons worth of force — about twice the amount needed to crack a brick with a karate punch. It was also the highest such figure the P3 officials had ever seen.”"
Dr. Elliott, who runs P3 Applied Sports Science, went on to say,
"“Zion has the highest peak force of any athlete we’ve ever assessed — and he was still in high school.”"
In other words, Zion Williamson’s second jump is the most powerful of any athlete the institute has ever tested and they have tested more than half the players currently in the NBA.
When you consider Zion’s strength and size, coupled with the power and speed of his second jump, it’s easy to see how it can be a weapon for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Zion Williamson’s Double Jump by the Numbers
Zion has already shown that the double jump is a dominant move in his short time with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Basically, it’s the same move older brothers used to do when playing against siblings who were smaller and weaker, if you miss, you just go get it faster than anyone else and the weaker opponents have no time to react.
Zion treats each shot he takes as a miss and his second jump is so fast that he’s there before anyone else if it is. Watch Zion simply beat everyone else to the ball for the putback.
Zion Williamson is literally the only other player visible in the screen on that putback. He treated it as a miss and jumped back up to get it before anyone else even knew what happened.
According to NOLA.com, Alvin Gentry sees that the double jump is a weapon:
"“His second jump is ridiculous,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “I’ve never seen anyone that has a second jump quicker or more accurate than his. He shoots it, and he has a good feel of where it’s going to come off if it’s not going in. And I think the most important thing is he plays all of his shots as a miss. He doesn’t assume that any of them are going in. He’s on the floor and back up trying to create rebounding position on every shot. That’s why I think he gets a lot of them back.”"
It’s not just the insane speed of the second jump, but also Zion’s instincts and hustle that make it such a weapon.
Zion grabs 46.1 percent of his offensive rebound chances, and 69.8 percent of his contested offensive rebound chances, so if two guys go up for an offensive rebound, chances are Zion is coming down with it or slamming it home.
Zion is 9th in the NBA in points off of putbacks, which is even more impressive when you consider he only played 19 games and was coming off a serious knee injury.
Also, most of the players above him, guys like Andre Drummond or Hassan Whiteside, are centers whose primary duties are rebounding.
Zion’s double jump utilizes his raw leaping ability and can be his signature move. We may even see Zion intentionally missing when he is tightly defended because he knows he’s statistically more likely to grab the miss than anyone else.
Once Zion, gets his hands on the ball, no one is taking it away, ask Kevin Knox:
Zion’s strength and leaping ability put him in his own category.
For now, he doesn’t need some fancy post move or a three-point shot, he just needs to keep collecting those misses and slamming them home.
The double jump could be one of the most unstoppable offensive moves in the NBA next season as Zion continues to refine his offensive game.