New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson believes that he “connected” well with coach Alvin Gentry.
Williamson is officially New Orleans-bound after the Pelicans selected him as the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft on Thursday. The 18-year-old superstar will be the new face of the Pelicans franchise after they agreed to trade superstar Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Following the draft, Williamson expressed that he feels very comfortable with Gentry. During the introductory press conference, the former Duke University standout said he feels he immediately “connected” with Gentry because the veteran head coach saw that he is focused on playing basketball.
Article Continues Below“I think we connected because he just saw that I just wanted to play basketball,” Williamson said via the team's official website. “The media and stuff wasn't on my mind. I was 18 years old and wanting to get on the court and hoop.”
Gentry heaped praises for the rookie sensation, saying that he is very excited to coach Williamson. He said that he saw that the future superstar is willing to play extremely hard and has a team-first mentality. He also felt that Williamson will be an easy player to coach because he is an “easy guy to talk to.”