The NBA destiny of a team is often defined by their draft luck. Generational talents may just walk your way if lottery luck points your way. LeBron James was one such generational talent that had teams tanking for a chance to draft him.
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Rarely had the NBA seen hype surrounding an incoming prospect like that. And then it happened again, almost 15 years apart. This time, the hype train was headed the Zion Williamson route.
The phenom was already a household name vide his high school mixtapes. And he further established himself to be worth all the hype under Coach K‘s tutelage at Duke.
But it didn’t always plan out the way Zion imagined, during his time at Duke. Mike Krzyzewski or Coach K, renowned for his disciplinarian methods, even sat Williamson temporarily prompting a puzzled response from his young star.
All’s well that ends well. And here, Coach K’s strategy proved to be beneficial to Zion in the long run.
How exactly did Coach K’s benching of Williamson benefit him?
Coach K was no stranger to high school stars looking to make their name in college basketball. Zion wasn’t the first highly recruited freshman to join his team and wasn’t the last either.
Naturally, Coach K had a few mind games ready to test the mettle of his new recruit. Coach K opted to bench Zion in the build-up to his freshman season. Later, Zion admitted that Krzyzewski revealed why he opted to do so. And, Williamson’s response and subsequent numbers suggest the ploy worked too.
Zion went on to average 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds over 33 games during his time at Duke. While he couldn’t deliver Coach K with the National Championship, his performances were enough to convince the Pelicans to invest in the hype around the young forward. And a superstar as we know it was born.
In conversation with another Blue Devil, J J Redick, Zion reminisced the time he was benched.
“He did it for a reason, he plays mind games so well. He says ‘I just wanted to bring the beast out in you’ and felt I was holding back because I had other stars around me. Putting me on the blue team really made me come out of my shell and attack those guys and always make my presence known on the court” spoke Zion of why he was revealed to be benched and the result of Coach K’s mind game.
Redick’s response to the mention of mind games suggests he was subject to some of these Coach K tricks too. And a look at Redick’s illustrious career gives us additional proof regarding the success of Krzyzewski’s man-management tactics.
Who are some of the other big names to have blossomed under Mike Krzyzewski’s guidance?
The Duke Blue Devils have been one of the best basketball programs in the USA ever since Coach K took over in 1980. Various All-Star and All-NBA caliber prospects have entered the league after being subject to Krzyzewski’s ways at Duke.
Zion Williamson is merely the latest star from Duke’s reputed production line. Zion is joined by fellow All-Stars Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, and Brandon Ingram as the best active Duke alumnus in the league.
Former All-Stars include the likes of Grant Hill, Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, and Christian Laettner. That forms quite a consistent list when it comes to production across the eras.
The job Coach K did with Team USA arguably appears to the common man as his biggest achievement. For basketball scouts and enthusiasts, it might just be his ability to churn out quality contributors to the NBA on such a regular basis that stands out.
