Once upon a time, Zion Williamson was seen as a defensive liability. It wasn't always like this: the New Orleans Pelicans star was a defensive monster in his college days. Even in his rookie year, Williamson was solid at worst. However, as his career progressed, his defense started to falter. He seemed completely disinterested at the idea of defense.

This season, though, Williamson has been noticeably better on that end of the floor. The Pelicans' highly-ranked defense has been thanks in large part to Zion's effort on defense. They are sixth in defensive rating and are one of the stingiest units on defense.

Zion going from the hunted to the hunter on defense is remarkable. After a win against the Phoenix Suns, the Pelicans star talked about what made him work on improving, per Pelicans Film Room. In a nutshell, Williamson said that he didn't like the idea of being targeted on defense, so he strived to improve on that end.

“I could tell that the other team would try to hunt me on defense. I watched the film and I didn't like that… I started taking a lot more pride, worked on it so that if I get called up, I can hold my own” — Zion Williamson on his improvements defensively

Williamson is a physical freak of nature, but there's a reason why he got hunted on defense. His poor effort and lack of awareness made him an easy target to prey on. Now that he's improved on that end, the Pelicans are a much harder team to exploit.

The up-and-down career of Zion Williamson

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) blocks the shot of Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) during the first half at Footprint Center.
Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

Williamson's career has been quite the rollercoaster to follow, huh. The Pelicans star was hyped up to be one of the greatest prospects of this generation. His combination of athleticism, size, and finishing made him a true terror on the court. His rookie year showed what his floor was, and fans were excited to see what else he would bring to the table.

Unfortunately, Zion would bring heartbreak to Pelicans fans. Multiple lower leg injuries stymied Williamson's career so far. More often than not, he was on the bench in street clothes due to rehab. Fans also started to critique his rehab: unflattering photos of the star led to fans calling out his “effort” and endless fat jokes.

This season has shown those critics that calling out his desire to be better is, and has always been, silly at best and disingenuous at worst. The Pelicans star recognized his defense being a weak point, and worked endlessly to improve. Additionally, Williamson is adding a much-needed midrange game to complement his inside attack.

“People remember the greats because of key moments… If I want to be one of those players, I gotta make it happen in those moments” — Zion Williamson on his statement game tonight

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“”Absolutely. Especially with how teams are guarding me. Just gotta find and easier way to mix in some other buckets like that” — Zion Williamson on incorporating more midrange jumpers into his game”

The Pelicans currently possess the sixth-seventh seed in the West, tied with the same Suns team that they beat. The win gives them a huge advantage in the race for that sixth spot. As a reminder, teams from number 7 to number 10 will be playing in the Play-In Tournament, while the sixth seed and higher goes to the playoffs automatically.