I've seen the video, and it's hard to tell just how high he jumps. If they say he broke Zion's record, I guess we have to believe them. But something about it doesn't quite pass the eye test.
See there...I told you so....depends and how tall you are
Cassius's standing reach was measured at 8'3 in 2014 (link) and 8'4 in 2017 (link). Unfortunately those are the most recent references I can find. Zion's was reported to be 8'7 prior to the draft. So Cassius is starting from at most four inches below Zion (could be less of a differential if he has grown).
When Zion did his max vert test they had to place the rack on top of some weights because he outjumped the whole thing. So I kind of agree, I have some skepticism that Cassius has a higher max vert than Zion. Unless they got a longer pole this year.
Also worth bearing in mind is that Zion didn't just jump high, he also jumped *fast*. Some guys can jump high during testing, but underwhelm during games because they need a lot of set-up time to actually execute that jump. They can't do it quickly or in traffic so the height is there but it only rarely actually impacts a game. Zion could not only jump insanely high, he could do it seemingly instantly and at any moment. Truly, he was the whole package, and it was the combination of abilities that made him so extraordinary.
So, even in the (imo, unlikely) event Cassius really can outjump Zion, its hard to believe he can jump as quickly or has as much versatility with it.
I mean, Cassius can get UP...
“Coach said no 3s.” - Zion on The Block
During this interview Stanley clarifies that he jumped 46", not the 42 that has been reported (!)
Michael Jordan and today’s best NBA leaper, Zach LaVine, both measured 46” verticals.
Wilt Chamberlain supposedly had a 48” vertical.
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
Laughable. Yet another in a long line of exaggerations about Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt was 7’ 1” in height. If he had a 48” vertical jump the top of his head would be more than a foot above the rim. I’ve never seen a photo of Wilt where he is even at eye level with the rim, much less more than a foot above it.
46" is elite.
The eye test is what was so stunning about Zion...a man that big going that high is simply more astonishing to the eye than a much smaller man going maybe an inch higher.
I was thinking when RJ came out last week and said he could dunk like Zion that maybe he's right, and maybe he can....but it still won't look as spectacular as a Zion dunk. I don't think anyone's dunks will...simply because Zion is breaking the laws of physics.
Saw that Zion was back at school. Think he wants his vert title back? He sure looks fit.
Last edited by JayZee; 09-28-2019 at 06:16 PM. Reason: Typo
Even if Zion were to retake the test and break the record, it wouldn’t count. The record is max vert by a Duke player, not by an alum. It wouldn’t really be meaningful if any pro could come back and set the record.
I was in the Minneapolis airport yesterday getting a shoe shine (stay with me...)
I told the nice man that I lived in Connecticut and he began talking about Khalid El-Amin and the great UConn teams back in the day. I told him I don’t like to talk about “that game” because I’m a Duke fan.
The next thing he said was, “can you believe Cassius Stanley beat Zion’s vertical leap record?!?!”
The Duke marketing machine in full effect...
My post was not meant to be taken seriously.
A bit interesting to me is that last year they seemed to actively keep Zion’s actual vert secret, but now we know, at least, that it’s not 48 or 50 like some people guessed. In the end it just doesn’t matter that much. Just off season speculation... looking forward to seeing Cassius actually play.