New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson did not disappoint during his NBA debut, unleashing a 22-point performance that included a scorching 17-point run in the fourth quarter. He was quiet and hesitant in the first three quarters of the game, which led to heavy criticism about his weight and playing shape.
Williamson was listed at 6-foot-7 and 285 pounds during his lone year at Duke University. Upon coming to stricter regulations after the NBA demanded accurate measurements, the rookie was listed at 6-foot-6, with no weight officially provided.
Yet commentary about his weight couldn't be helped by color commentator Jeff Van Gundy, who constantly questioned if his body would hold up that way. In a recent podcast appearance with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Williamson cleared up some of the concerns and reacted to the criticism:
“There’s really no comparison to me. I try to add every level to my game,” said Williamson, who went 4-of-4 on 3-pointers during his Wednesday debut. “My body is just built different. Some people try to look at it as a weakness, but I look at it as a blessing.
“People aren’t used to guarding this kind of size and I’m able to add a little finesse to my game so it has flavor and I’m a playmaker so I can create for my teammates and when I have to finish I’m gonna finish.”
While Williamson was moving through the gears for the first three quarters, he unleashed some of that gaudy athleticism by snatching an offensive board away from 7-footer Jakob Poeltl, outworking Trey Lyles for offensive rebounds, and even adjusting mid-air to finish an alley-oop contested by two players.
The Pelicans used Zion Williamson's time away from the court to fine-tune several aspects of his game, which should only bode well for a player with such promise and great expectations ahead.
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