New Orleans Pelicans rookie sensation Zion Williamson had his second run of NBA action on Friday night against the Denver Nuggets, and he continued to show why he was the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Williamson scored 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field while also adding six rebounds in 21 minutes of action, three more minutes than he received in his NBA debut.
Zion's efficiency is historic. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he is the first player to make at least 75 percent of his field goal attempts (minimum 20 attempts) in his first two games:
Zion Williamson is the first player in NBA history to attempt at least 20 shots in his first 2 career games and make at least 75% of them (@EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/jPAL6JWt2j
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 25, 2020
Whereas Williamson surprised by firing away from the perimeter in his debut, Friday was more of a regression to the mean, so to speak. Nearly all of Zion's points came at the rim, though he did convert on a smooth turnaround jumper at the free-throw line.
The former Duke star also made a tremendous block after rotating from the weak side:
This block by Zion is insaneđź‘€pic.twitter.com/cZ4UjOcZGT
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 25, 2020
The numbers and the highlights are all telling, but one statistic stands above the rest. Williamson finished last night's contest with a plus-minus of +16, the best margin of any player on either team. He is now at +19 through his first two appearances.
While Zion is making an impact, however, there is a glaring area of weakness. Williamson is just 3-of-8 from the charity stripe, including going 1-for-4 on Friday. Considering how big and athletic he is, teams would probably rather just foul him and send him to the line than give him a path to the rim.
In any case, Zion's minutes should creep up as he continues to gauge the flow of the NBA game.
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