New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson stands out as a rock solid power forward with strong frame and ridiculous athleticism for his size, if he’s able to be on the court. Since his first ever appearance in the NBA, Williamson has reminded many basketball pundits of former Charlotte Hornets star Larry Johnson.
Johnson stands at 6-foot-6 and weighed around 240 pounds during his time in the NBA. Like Williamson, he was also the No.1 overall pick of his draft class and was a freight train coming into the NBA. Johnson was a beast and could’ve been even greater had he been healthier throughout the rest of his career, another similarity the two share.
Johnson now took some time to catch up with Len Werle on OpenCourt-Basketball’s “Sidelines” podcast to also discuss the comparisons between him and the young Pelicans star. Asked whether he thinks the Zion comparison is valid, the former Hornets star admitted that he definitely sees the similarities.
“There’s a little truth to it because we both by the same undersized, same body type, and playing the same position,” Johnson said. “He loves contact, I love contact. It’s a little similar. I think I was the better outside shooter, I was better from than outside than Zion. But I do believe Zion is more explosive than me.”
“I definitely see these dunks he’s doing, and I never did those dunks in my life. He’s definitely a little bit athletic than me going to the basket, but I thought I had a better outside game. But I think the comparison is a little similar talking about our body type and our position being a smaller but wider power forward.”
