The great declarations and pretty photos of the NBA Media Day have given way to the start of the training camps, and in New Orleans perhaps more than elsewhere we are licking our chops. Why ? Because the monster Zion Williamson is back, and because he has already given his coach and his teammates a treat. After a blank year, the Z will have to withstand the shock, but the shock is the NBA that could take the full brunt of it.
A selection with great fanfare by the Pelicans with the first choice of the 2019 Draft, a quick but monstrous overview of his level in the rookie year, a more successful season 2 in terms of games played (27 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists at 61 % in shooting) and the basketball planet which begins to tremble… then a year 3 spent between the infirmary and the KFC. Here is for the moment the very short summary of the NBA career of Zion Williamson, a beast barely 2 meters tall but weighing more than 130 kilos when on a diet, as fragile as it is powerful and therefore cultivating a sacred paradox since its arrival in the Leaguethat of a guy who can potentially graze the NBA but at the same time… seems so close to a career that would never take off because of his health concerns.
Be that as it may, we announce a Zion Williamson back for this start of the season, in a Pelicans team which had already been damn sexy without him, and the first collective training sessions seem to have confirmed what we already knew according to the Says his teammates: Zion is in amazing shape and he’s coming to bust some mouths. Sample :
“He seemed incredible to me. His power, his speed… He clearly dominated the training. But what struck me most was its power. He moves fast, he makes the right decisions very quickly, when he doesn’t score he finds the right passes…” – Willie Green, Pels coach
“He hasn’t played in like 500 days, it’s going to take a bit of time for us to adjust to him and vice versa, but honestly he looks good and it’s very hard not to be impressed. . –Larry Nance Jr.
“Solid, very solid, and ready to play, that’s all I have to say. – Trey Murphy III, not trey talkative
“I think Z is a special player, a player we will have to adapt to. He doesn’t need to have the ball all the time. He will always manage, he adapted very quickly, it’s as if he had been playing with us for a very long time. – Jose Alvarado, Louisiana pickpocket
For his first real training in 5 vs 5 since May… 2020, against real players, Zion Williamson was partnered with Herb Jones, CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas in what could look like a major five for the start of the season, with an asterisk all the same for the position of leader. Zion didn’t miss a shot in the entire session, ok man, and therefore impressed everyone. This bodes well for Pels who are said to be among the good surprises this season, and who could even start freaking out a lot of people if the Z monster stays in shape.
Will Zion Williamson hold up? It has been a bit of the chestnut tree of the Great League for three years now. At time T the bug is in good shape, so at time T… the NBA can shake.