“It’s a matchup problem for a lot of people, so we got our work cut out [with] him” - Kevin Durant believes Pelicans’ star is ‘one of one’ player, says it’s exciting when marquee players are healthy
The Brooklyn Nets and Kevin Durant are up against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans for the season opener on Wednesday. The two-time champion recently discussed the matchup with the Pelicans and more specifically, Zion Williamson.
On guarding Williamson, Durant said:
“It’s a matchup problem for a lot of people, so we got our work cut out [with] him”
Kevin Durant believes it's going to be exciting for the league now that Williamson is healthy. He also mentioned that he had not seen anyone of Zion's size and athleticism playing at this level:
“It’s going to be exciting times when guys get healthy, especially the marquee guys in this league.
"We've seen guys at 6'7 who can get up and down the floor and move, but not at that level though."
Zion has been in the league for three seasons now and has only played 85 games due to various injuries. The most prominent came in last year's pre-season, where Williamson injured his right foot which required surgery.
Zion rolled his left ankle during the preseason game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday. While it does not appear to be anything serious, the Pelicans still kept him out of their last game of the preseason. They also limited his practice time on Sunday.
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets prepare for Zion Williamson
Williamson has voiced his plans to play in the season opener and is excited to get back to business.
The Pelicans' recent team practice was described as ‘intense’ by Zion, where the starting five played together. So far, the starting unit hasn't been able to practice together much.
The Nets will be fearful of Zion and this is what head coach Steve Nash said about the former No. 1 pick:
“So talented and gifted. Zion causes problems for everybody, no matter, I think, what state his body and game is in. He’s still such a unique athlete and player. So we got to be prepared. We can’t expect anything less than his best or we’ll be surprised.”
Although the Nets had a disappointing last season, the new trio of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons is going to be a threat for every team.
The Nets can expect Williamson to start on Wednesday and it will be interesting to see who guards him. Ben Simmons did a solid job in locking Giannis Antetokounmpo in Brooklyn’s preseason showing against the Bucks. His next task could be to slow down the young big, which Kevin Durant outlined as a problematic matchup.