Last night, the NBA finally got a chance to see ZION Williamson in action and to many fans’ surprise, he left his mark in his debut in the least expected way possible.
Fo Fo Fo
Let’s start with the ice breaker. ZION went 4-of-4 from downtown which if you have been following him the least, would be the last thing you would have expected to see in his debut. ZION did exactly the opposite of what has made him a hot commodity in the NBA leading up to his debut.
He finished with 22 points and scored 17 points in a 4th quarter stretch of 3 minutes and 8 seconds.
Now, let’s be realistic and not give him the title of Zion Curry. This was an incredible moment that he will never forget. The good thing is you can see that his confidence (either from the energy of the crowd or the work he has put in) has gone up to be able to craft a shooting performance like that. Should we expect performances like this all the time? Probably not, but it certainly is something nobody will forget soon.
Quick Bursts and Mismatches in Zion Debut
One thing that quickly jumped off the page was the mismatches ZION created playing the five spot. ZION is a phenomenally gifted and unique athlete. Standing around 6’6, 285 he traditionally would see more minutes at power forward and small forward. Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry immediately threw ZION in the fire at center.
And we certainly got a glimpse of what he could do and was a key area of his game not often mentioned in college.
Just look at this possession here. Zion skied over Jakob Poltl and immediately went on a 5-on-4 fast break leading to an easy assist to E’Twaun Moore .
This is something fans should get accustomed to watching the Pelicans do by going small ball. The Warriors had high success a few years back and this could run up scores quick due to the pace.
The other area is Zion’s ability to quickly burst from point A to B.
Look at this play. He immediately recognizes the mismatch against DeMar DeRozan and immediately calls for the lob before spinning his way to the finish in the air.
Or even off the rebound at 10 seconds. His ability to quickly recognize where the missed shot is and quickly explode back up at the rim is going to be a problem for anyone stopping him in the paint.
STOP SAYING HE’S OVERWEIGHT
I absolutely hate what I’m about to say because I’m a fan of Mark Jackson. To our unfortunate ears as fans, we had to sit through a first half of Mark Jackson constantly talking about ZION’s weight.
Don’t listen to what he is said during that first half regarding ZION’s weight.
ESPN even had the audacity to remind fans of this.
Trust me, we get ZION is a massive human for his size and weight. He likely has heard this everywhere he turns. There are only two areas of concern we should have for him. Can he avoid overeating and when will he be in NBA game shape?
NBA players have mentioned over the years that the biggest adjustment joining the league was adjusting to the speed of play and the fact they play long 82 game seasons.
Zion won’t be any different. It is going to take some time for him to fully get in game shape. That doesn’t mean he has to instantly drop 30 pounds but he will have to get up to speed.
Regarding his actual frame, the best option for ZION right now is to continue to develop his jump shot and maintain his weight. Getting a chef could greatly help that.
Hoops writer Jade Johnson reminded me of two players who struggled being too rim dependent in Amar’e Stoudemire and Blake Griffin. Both started their careers mainly scoring from the inside with thunderous dunks and close basket finishes.
Neither developed a jump shot until much later in their careers. ZION on the other hand needs to adjust to that now and continue from his masterful shooting performance last night.
ZION will be a problem in the league and should have everybody not so patiently waiting to see what he will do next.
Follow me on Twitter @ErrolChandler15 and check out other NBA articles by the Belly Up Sports Team
