NBA Game Reviews: January 17, 2021

1. Zion Williamson has already become the NBA’s most unstoppable force in the paint

Zion Williamson is playing in his second season in the NBA. In his first year, he played in just 24 games and was on a minutes restriction, yet still finished third in Rookie of the Year voting thanks to his elite production during his month and a half on the court. This year, Zion is playing without any limits and has showcased his pure dominance in the paint. 

The 20-year-old out of Duke is shooting 57% from the field and has almost completely taken out any aspect of his game outside of the interior. Williamson has attempted fewer than 10 shots outside the paint this year and is 0-2 from looks beyond the three-point line. While Zion’s offensive game has become completely one-dimensional, that hasn’t made him any easier to guard. 

Zion’s brute force and unprecedented athleticism has allowed him to feast inside and has fueled his efficient game despite no current threat of an outside jumper. Opponents are able to back off of him in the mid-range, yet that hasn’t mattered, as he’s able to either blow by or bully them down in the post. It was known that the former Blue Devil was going to be dominant due to his sheer size and athleticism, but most one-dimensional games don’t translate to success at the NBA level. Zion has plenty of time to develop his jumper, but for now, he’s as unstoppable as anyone in the league, and the most dominant young player since LeBron James.

2. The Utah Jazz have all the pieces necessary to be a cohesive contender

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The Utah Jazz had one of the shakiest seasons a team could have last year. Rudy Gobert was the first NBA player to test positive for the Coronavirus, leading to the suspension of all major sports. During the time off, there was constant chatter regarding the rift between Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, which many believed to be unfixable. While that was put to rest in the bubble, the Jazz became the first of two teams to blow a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets, ending their season and rehashing chatter that one of Utah’s two All-Stars would depart.

After a quiet offseason, where the only notable addition was long-time Jazz Derrick Favors, many wondered how Utah would fare. After a 4-4 start and a bad loss to the Knicks, Utah has seemingly righted the ship. The Jazz are 5-0 in their last five contests and avenged their bubble collapse on Sunday with a 109-105 victory over the Nuggets in Denver. The Jazz now sit as one of the premier teams in the league, with all the pieces necessary to be a formidable contender. 

Utah has their playmaking guard and rising star in Mitchell, a DPOY-caliber rim protector in Gobert, elite shooting with Bojan Bogdanovic, three-and-D specialists in Mike Conley and Royce O’Neal, and a top-tier bench led by Jordan Clarkson, Joe Ingles, and Derrick Favors. This team may not be as scary as the Lakers or Clippers on paper, but they won’t be an easy out in the playoffs and will have last year’s collapse fueling them in the moments that matter most.

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