The 2019-20 NBA season is just three weeks away from its start, and Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans has already seen flashes of what's to come for newcomer Zion Williamson. The No. 1 overall selection already wowed plenty of NBA players during his lone season at Duke, but it's a very different thing to see it live and direct on one's own practice floor:
“He's a mutant,” said Holiday of Williamson, according to Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. “You have mutants coming out of the woodwork (in basketball). Guys with 45-inch verticals dunking everything. His athletic ability is out of this world.”
The praise has been real high for Williamson before he has even played his first NBA game in full after being forced to leave his Summer League venture with an injury. Yet again, the praise might not have been high enough, considering he has impressed everyone he has come in contact with, even after getting labeled as the next best player since LeBron James.
The Pelicans have a fairly young roster with key veterans to help them navigate the long regular season, and even they have been impressed with the team's rookies' willingness to listen and learn:
“They're very mature for their ages. I think a part of that maturity is wanting to learn. They've been all ears. They’ve soaked everything in and that’s going to help them grow.”
It sounds like Williamson might shock people on and off the court if he's willing to add to his mutant-like skill set by soaking in the knowledge from veteran voice who have seen just about everything play out in NBA circles.
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