New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday knows all eyes are going to be on rookie Zion Williamson even though the guard is the so-called leader of the team at the moment.
Williamson is receiving hype similar to the hoopla surrounding LeBron James back in 2003 when he was a rookie with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Holiday says he doesn't want to put too much pressure on Williamson, but thinks the high-flyer can carry and live up to the expectations placed upon him:
“He’s already done a lot. You can see just how much joy he’s brought to the city,” Holiday told Will Guillory of The Athletic. “I don’t want to put too much on him because it can be hard to carry something like that at such a young age. I know he’s a freakish athlete and a smart kid. If anyone can carry that burden, it would probably be him.”
At Duke, Zion Williamson 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 aren't expecting Williamson to put up those type of numbers in his rookie season because he won't have to.
New Orleans has surrounded Williamson with sound veterans, headlined by Jrue Holiday, Derrick Favors and JJ Redick. So even though Williamson's game is going to be dissected at every turn, he won't have to carry the load on offense just yet since Holiday is on the team and will be the No. 1 option.
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