New Orleans Pelicans rookie sensation Zion Williamson made his much-anticipated NBA debut against the San Antonio Spurs, and he gave the fans at the Smoothie King Center quite the thrill.
Williamson struggled in short bursts in the first half, but he went bananas in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 straight points while shooting 4-of-4 from beyond the arc and almost single-handedly propelling the Pelicans to a lead.
The Pelicans would go on to lose the game as head coach Alvin Gentry pulled Zion for the final minutes — at the request of the medical staff — but Williamson had made his mark.
Zion showcased some of the skills that have made him such a marvel. Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has even gone as far as to say he has more lateral quickness than some of the more heralded point guards in NBA history, per Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports:
David Griffin has said many times this year that he has never seen a player like Zion Williamson, who is 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds. He claims that Williamson has more lateral quickness than any point guard that has played under him. Keep in mind, Griffin has led or been a part of front offices that employed Kyrie Irving, Steve Nash, Stephon Marbury and Jason Kidd. More mobility than those guys?
“Yes,” Griffin told me recently. “Without a doubt.”
Griffin is one of the better talent evaluators in the league, and his words only bolster Zion's freakish athletic ability.
The Pelicans rookie still has plenty of growing to do and has to get adjusted to the flow of NBA games. He missed numerous boxouts and lost his defensive assignment on backdoors multiple times.
That said, his explosiveness is remarkable. From the second jump to the ability to make a play from the position of disadvantage, Zion is one of the more unique players in basketball. He even showed tremendous court vision.
Of course, health is going to be a question as the year goes along, but the Zion hype train only picked up more steam on Wednesday night. The Pelicans will be a team to watch the rest of the season.
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