With his profile as overpowered as atypical, Zion Williamson presents an unusual profile in the NBA universe. And yet, a former player feels he and the Pelican are almost identical. Interesting fact ? The athlete in question has never gone beyond the NCAA box!
Schea Cotton’s name certainly doesn’t ring a bell, but he’s still considered one of the greatest high school basketball players in history. A pure Californian product, this 1m98 swingman was an absolute star of the courts in the youth category, easily turning 20 points per game. Still nicknamed “LeBron before LeBron” by some, he was also a sacred provider of highlights:
Schea Cotton’s big tip for Zion Williamson
An enormous talent therefore, which has never made the leap to the big league. Cotton nevertheless remained in the collective imagination, to the point that a documentary entitled Manchild: The Schea Cotton Story was released about him in 2020. For the occasion, the former player was notably interviewed by Michael Scotto of Hoopshype, giving among other things his opinion on the current NBA. Interestingly, he saw a lot of similarities between him and a young nugget:
We are talking about Zion Williamson, and he’s an exceptional athlete today… Zion is probably closest to what I was in terms of explosiveness, but my skills were a lot better at this point in the game. I think if he can develop his qualities of guard and his game at half distance, he will be unstoppable because he is already a problem around the basket.
Like its predecessor, the Pelican was also an exceptional phenomenon in High School, and was probably the most anticipated professional basketball player since LeBron James during his draft. With such hype around you, it is not necessarily easy to stay focused on the game. Yet this is precisely what Cotton wants to convey as an education inside. He thus gave him the following advice:
Stay humble and don’t believe the publicity. Keep working. Zion has to prove himself and show that he is worthy of not only the money but also the first choice. There is the media pushing him, behind him, and he has to do it. So stay focused, don’t believe everything you hear and work. It’s one thing to get to the top of a mountain, it’s quite another to stay there.
Zion Williamson has a tremendous amount of pressure on his shoulders, but he mustn’t let her influence him. If necessary, he can always turn to Schea Cotton, who knows exactly what the New Orleans player is going through.
