LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Zion Williamson's rookie season is ending without a playoff berth.
It's not an uncommon stop on the NBA learning curve.
Even for No. 1 draft picks, like Williamson was a year ago, winning takes time. The last player to go from being the top overall selection one year to a playoff-game starter the very next season was Derrick Rose -- more than a decade ago. LeBron James needed three years to make the playoffs. John Wall needed four seasons. So did Kyrie Irving, his wait ending in large part because James returned to Cleveland.