What We Learned in Zion Williamson’s NBA Debut
If you’re a basketball fan, then it’s a 1,000% chance you were waiting for the New Orleans Pelicans v. San Antonio Spurs matchup Wednesday Night.
Why would any want to wait up (if you’re on the east coast) to watch a game between two teams under .500?
Zion Williamson.
The basketball world waited thirteen weeks and two days to see Zion make his official NBA debut. We watched him blaze the summer league and dominate the preseason, but a knee injury forced him to miss the first three months of the NBA season.
If you didn’t stay up long enough for the show, I’m here to give you a breakdown of what we learned from Zion’s first NBA game.
Zion is not scared of the moment
During a three minute stretch in the fourth quarter, Zion scored 17 points, 12 points coming from behind the arc. It was very entertaining to watch the 19-year old catch fire, putting his team in a position to win the game. Before his personal run, the Pelicans were trailing double-digits early in the fourth quarter. While he didn’t have a Zion-like above the rim dunk, he still electrified the crowd with hitting all four of his threes and some solid moves in the paint. Pelican’s head coach Alvin Gentry decided to pull with more than five minutes left in the game. Nobody was happy but it was a great showing from the number 1 pick.
“I’m 19. Honestly, in that moment, I’m not thinking about longevity. I’m thinking about winning the game. So it was very tough.” — Zion Williamson via ESPN.
Weight is still an issue
In the first few minutes of the game, ESPN displayed a graphic that stated Zion is the third heaviest player in the NBA at 285 pounds. Announcer, Marc Jackson, commented on how he needs to lose weight. Zion’s weight is a problem because of his explosiveness and style of play. The weight even seems to be an issue for his stamina. I’m sure Zion will not admit he was tired during the game, but you can see the signs of fatigue while he went on his monster run. Carrying that weight while exploding off the hardwood, will likely lead to a career of load management. It’s no telling how long the Pelicans will keep him on a minute restriction, but they’re willing to take him out of games to preserve his knees.
Pelicans have a great young nucleus
Without Zion, the Pelicans only won 13 games but NBA fans could see the potential. With Zion, they can possibly be a playoff team in the western conference. Zion gives the lineup a spark, a playmaker, and a reliable star who is not afraid of the moment. Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball have a newfound confidence that they seemed to be missing in Los Angeles. Derrick Favors and Jrue Holiday provide veteran leadership. This isn’t to say the Pelicans are going to make a late-season run for the eighth seed, but it’s possible. Pelicans should be happy and excited about the future.
“You know it’s — a talent like that — you know he’s a great guy on top of it all. The whole world needs to see him. So I mean, obviously, it’s good for the Pelicans, but it’s good for basketball. He’s quite a package, both as a player and as a person.” — Greg Popovich via ESPN
The Hype isn’t going away anytime soon
When Alvin Gentry pulled Zion in the middle of his dynamic run, the crowd wasn’t pleased. And when his replacement, Brandon Ingram, shot free throws on the next possession, chants of “WE WANT ZION” erupted in the Smoothie King Arena. When Zion shot his final two free throws of the game, chants of “MVP” circulated throughout the arena. And before the game even started, ESPN broadcasted hours throughout their stations of Zion’s college and high school games as an undercard for his big debut. If you were tired of the Zion Williamson wave before, don’t hold your breath.
