Odds Say Zion Williamson Will Have Under 3 Dunks in First NBA Game

• The NBA Draft is this week on Thursday, June 20th
• Zion Williamson is expected to be drafted first overall
• Books have released prop bets for his first game of the season

There is no doubt whatsoever whether Zion Williamson will be the first pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, but how will he do in his first NBA game in October?

Zion Williamson Dunks in First Game

*Odds taken 06/19/19

The odds say that Williamson will dunk the basketball less than three times in his NBA debut.

While Williamson “only” averaged 2.1 dunks a game in his one season at Duke, not including his four games in the NCAA Tournament, he should find the NBA more amenable to his dunking taste than college was.

The NBA is a longer game, with more minutes, so Williamson will have more time to work with. It is also a faster game with more possessions, so he will have more opportunities, as well.

There is better spacing in the NBA game compared to college. Less zone defense is played and fewer defenders are simply looking to draw charges, thus Zion will have more room with which to operate, as well as space to rise up for his patented thunderous jams. When you think about it, it was an amazing feat for Williamson to tally so many dunks despite college defenses that sagged into the lane and keyed on him.

Another reason Williamson will terrorize rims at a higher rate in the NBA is because he will be surrounded by better players who will be better at getting him the ball in the right spots, particularly Lonzo Ball. Ball is one of the best passers in the NBA, so he alone is likely to be worth at least one or two dunks a game for Williamson.

Ball is one of the best passers in the NBA, so he alone is likely to be worth at least one or two dunks a game for Williamson.

Beyond Ball, the talent around Zion will make it much tougher for opposing NBA teams to concentrate on stopping him near the rim.

Finally, the excitement surrounding Zion’s first game as a professional should provide him with enough adrenaline to reach the over.

Zion Williamson Points in First Game

When it comes to how many points Williamson will score in his debut, the smart money should lean to the conservative side.

Williamson is unselfish by nature, so he is unlikely to try to do too much in his first game with a Pelicans. He will defer early on to his more veteran teammates, plus Williamson has never been a high volume shooter, anyway.

From last night's @SportsCenter: Scouting the Draft on 2019 #1 pick Zion Williamson. Breaking down why Williamson is truly a position-less prospect, with the ability to slide all the way up to the 5 for stretches on defense, while creating offense for teammates on the other end. pic.twitter.com/zkMMj9tkto

— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) June 11, 2019

Williamson is not really a pure scorer at this point in his career, he is more of an efficient stat stuffer. Look for him to fill the stat sheet with rebounds, assists and blocks, while scoring his share of points, just not to the tune of over 19.5.

Williamson is not really a pure scorer at this point in his career, he is more of an efficient stat stuffer.

Zion’s debut is likely to live up to the hype – especially in the dunk department – and though he may not break the 20-point plateau, the rest of his game will more than make up for it.

Pick: Over 3 dunks (-105)

Pick: Under 19.5 points (-120)