Zion Williamson has been having a great start to his NBA campaign, and the league is taking notice
After a long-awaited debut, Zion Williamson, in his seven games played, is proving that he’s ready to take over the NBA and make a huge impact for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Zion is probably the most hyped rookie to come into the league since LeBron James, and it is no secret why he’s the future of the NBA. Young NBA fans will see a new era of basketball with Zion, and they will get to watch him become one of the greatest players to step on the hardwood.
The Pelicans young rookie out of Duke has only played seven games this season, and he has the whole league buzzing. Everyone knows Zion for his incredible dunks and miraculous finishes around the rim, but Zion has also shown his ability to step outside and make shots as well. If he becomes more consistent from the outside, he will be a nightmare for opposing teams.
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In the first game of his NBA career, Zion finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, and three assists and shot a perfect 4-4 from 3-point range. Having that type of game in your first career game is unbelievable, especially coming off knee surgery that held him out for the start of the 2019-20 season. It looks like the Pelicans are feeding off of his energy and playing up to their standards in recent games. Zion has been averaging 19.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in his first seven games, and its nothing short of exceptional.
In their recent loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Zion Williamson showed NBA fans that he can compete with the best in the league. He and Giannis Antetokounmpo shared the floor for the first time as the Bucks beat the Pelicans, 120-108.
There were many instances where they both were going at it 1-on-1. In the fourth quarter, Zion attacked Giannis and drew a foul. Later in the fourth, Zion bullied Giannis and took the ball away from him, leading to a foul. It’s very apparent that Zion Williamson is a powerful NBA player that we haven’t seen in a long time.
After the game, Zion talked about going against the former MVP.
"“It’s like going up against any great player; you do as much as you can do to slow him down.” Giannis also had some good words to say to the young rookie, “He was focused…he was knocking down shots. He was talking to everybody… it was amazing.”"
The Pelicans’ future is very bright because they have a lot of young assets that they can build around. Brandon Ingram is having a great year and is a candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. With him and Zion Williamson, the Pelicans will become a force to be reckoned with for years to come.