After his first four games in the NBA, Zion Williamson has been worth the wait for the New Orleans Pelicans, despite only being 2-2 in those games. Williamson is averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds, and has even shown us how he’s improved from three-point territory.
His ability to get up for that second jump for rebounds and putbacks are what make him dangerous. Being as big and as athletic as him, it creates a challenge immediately for the defense. If you stop him the first time, good luck stopping him the second time.
To go along with all of that, he’s looked decent on defense as he continues to get into game shape. The best thing about Zion in college (despite his earth shattering dunks) was how much he hustled on defense and for loose balls. We’ve seen a little bit of that, but I expect that to become a little more frequent for the rest of the season.
He also has seemed to click really well with his teammates, as his debut has reinvigorated the Pelicans as they look to make a playoff push.
Watching how they were able to compete with the Nuggets, Celtics and Spurs, I’m very excited to continue to watch Zion and this bright young Pelicans squad continue to grow and push towards a spot in the playoffs.