New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry says people shouldn't compare Zion Williamson to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
Williamson is garnering the same hype James did when he was a rookie back in 2003 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Gentry says the Pelicans just want Williamson to be the best version of himself.
“They shouldn't do that [comparing],” Gentry said, via Malika Andrews of ESPN. “We are not doing that. We are comparing Zion to Zion. We want Zion to be the best Zion Williamson that he can be. Not anybody else. We want him to be the best basketball player he can become using his name and no comparison.
“I know that it's inevitable that that's going to be the case, but we are not drinking that Kool-Aid.”
In his lone season at Duke, Williamson put on an absolute show. The high-flyer averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 68.0 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from beyond the arc and 64.0 percent from the free-throw line.
The Pelicans would obviously love it if Williamson carves out a similar career as LeBron James, but they don't want to put too much pressure on the youngster.
That's why David Griffin has surrounded Williamson with solid veterans such as Jrue Holiday, JJ Redick and Derrick Favors, three guys who will teach Zion what it takes to win in the NBA on a nightly basis.
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