After an ankle-related one-game hiatus, Zion Williamson wasted little time reminding everyone what the pushy New Orleans Pelicans look like at full strength. Williamson finished with 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting, adding four rebounds and drawing six fouls in 33 minutes in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite the loss, it was a very encouraging bounce-back performance against LeBron James. The 25-year-old attacked the rim relentlessly, converting all three of his fast-break opportunities and generating 20 of his points in the paint.
Yet Williamson's defenders were rarely whistled for any contact, leading to a mere five free throw attempts. This disparity did not go unnoticed by the Pelicans. James Borrego praised Williamson's effort in no uncertain terms after the game, but acknowledged a mounting frustration with how contact is being called when his star forward goes downhill.
“(Williamson) looked good,” Borrego noted. “He had a lot of pop to his step, he was aggressive, got downhill. I've got to watch some of those clips, but it looks to me like there is a lot of contact on that too. It's a tough, tough whistle there with Z driving the ball. He had great force, great poise. I thought he brought it on the defensive end as well, so really good performance by him (against the Lakers).”
The visible frustration with officials must be forgiven at this point. Borrego has been letting the refs hear about the lack of calls on a nightly basis.
Paying the fines for a technical foul might have to be factored into next month's budget.
“Got to be frustrated,” Borrego admitted. “If I were him, I'd be frustrated. It's a question for (Williamson), but I sense it. I see it and talk to him about it. I understand it's a tough call, but the amount of force when he goes to the rim, it's just there is certainly a lot of contact. There is a lot of contact in my opinion. We've got to do what we can as an organization, as a team, to protect him.”
Williamson, who has heard criticism about his durability and conditioning throughout his career, addressed his mindset last week in an ESPN interview, acknowledging the toll injuries have taken. Borrego addressed the emotional hurdles the former All-Star is constantly required to clear.
“Obviously, within the moment, he's got to keep his head, his poise, but it's extremely frustrating. I feel it, and it's really every single night. So we've just got to keep battling, stay together, and keep fighting. I just love his spirit and fight.”
Call it spirit or professional pride, but that's about all the Pelicans have to play for down the stretch. A loss to the LA Clippers before falling to the Lakers practically eliminated New Orleans from any NBA Play-In run. Forming a bit of chemistry should be a bit easier with a healthy roster, even without any keep-it-even foul calls from the officials.
