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17-year NBA veteran Carmelo Anthony had high praise for Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson in a recent interview with The Times-Picayune, noting that the former Duke standout is unlike anyone he's ever seen.
“I don't really think he's comparable to anybody that I've seen,” Anthony said, via Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune. “Somebody as powerful as that who jumps like that. And you can tell he's getting better, his feel for the game is getting better.”
Williamson missed the first 44 games of this season, as he was recovering from knee surgery. He made his debut in January, racking up 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field (4-of-4 from beyond the arc), seven rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes of playing time. Though he played well in his first NBA game, the Pelicans were defeated by the Spurs, 121-117.
Zion is living up to the hype that surrounded his name leading up to this season. In his nine appearances thus far, he's recorded averages of 21.0 points on 57.6 percent shooting (40.0 percent from downtown), 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and just under one steal (0.8) in 27.0 minutes per outing. His free-throw shooting could use some work, though, as he's currently sitting at 63.1 percent. Still, the 19-year-old has posted 20 or more points in each of his last five outings.
In Tuesday night's 138-117 victory over the Trail Blazers, Williamsons scored a season-high 31 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists.
“It's kind of scary to see how good he is this early,” Williamson's teammate, Josh Hart said after Tuesday's game, via ESPN.
Williamson and the Pelicans will be back in action on Thursday night, when they'll serve as hosts to the Oklahoma City Thunder. New Orleans will be looking to build on their three-game winning streak.
