3 Things we learned from Zion Williamson's NBA debut
A couple of nights ago, the most hyped rookie since LeBron James finally made his NBA debut after injury setbacks and an extended rehabilitation period. Zion Williamson finally arrived, leaving an impression in his debut game against the San Antonio Spurs with a 22 point outing on efficient shooting.
The New Orleans Pelicans did lose the game, but Zion's run in the fourth quarter was certainly a big positive. Now, the Pels are lined up to take on the Denver Nuggets at home later today in what will be Zion's second game of the season which means that the fans will get to see more of the sensation from Duke.
Prior to that, let us evaluate what we saw from the No.1 pick of the 2019 NBA Draft and try to pinpoint what we can expect of him in the months to come. Without further ado, here are some key observations from Zion Williamson's NBA debut against the Spurs:
#1 Still not at his physical best
While it's kind of expected given the long injury layoff, we did not see Zion in full force against the Spurs on Wednesday. Given the performances that we've witnessed in the past, Williamson was not the freak of nature that he usually tends to be.
He was slow in transition and was seen being content simply taking up positions in the low post instead of rummaging into the paint with the ball in his hands. Barring a few possessions, that aggression that we usually associate with Zion was not evident.
This could be due to a multitude of reasons, the most probable one being lack of shape. It could also be the case of the coaching staff or Zion himself wanting to take things easy given the umpteen precautions that the Pelicans have taken during his rehab process. In any case, we most certainly know that Williamson's efforts on the court will only improve from here on.
#2 Pelicans management still not willing to take any risk with Zion
The most recurring theme around Zion Williamson is the fact that the Pelicans value him too much and are not willing to take a chance when it comes to his fitness.
We first saw it when a knock to Zion during the NBA Summer League resulted in the Pels shutting him down for the entire tournament. We then saw it after his surgery wherein the original return window was slated at eight weeks but the rookie missed three months of the season.
Finally, we saw it again on Wednesday when Zion was taken off in the fourth quarter despite his brilliant run of 17 points in just a little over three minutes with the game hanging in the balance. Zion only played 18 minutes on his official debut. It just goes out to say that the Pels value him too much and are still willing to play the waiting game if it ensures full fitness.
#3 Ability to stretch the floor?
Coming into the league, everyone knew about Zion Williamson's ability to bulldoze opponents inside the paint. We all had seen and were well aware of his athletic capabilities and his scoring efficiency from close range. What people did question though, were his jump shot and his ability from the charity stripe.
If we are to go by what we saw against the Spurs a day before yesterday, Zion's addressed those issues well. He went four for four from downtown and all of his shots were either taken from the top of the key or the wings, shots which are usually the most difficult to make.
Zion's free throw shooting is still contentious, with him only making only two out of four attempts on the night. Having said that, he still has enough time to work on this aspect of his game. Moreover, if he can continue to dominate the paint like we know he can and shoots the ball from distance as well as the evidence suggests, Zion is set to cause a lot of trouble to his opponents.