The New Orleans Pelicans have been up against a wall lately as a team. Zion Williamson has been facing walls of paint-packing defenses all season, but even more so of late since Brandon Ingram has missed the last 10 games. The two-time All-Star is taking what is given, though, looking for easy-to-read cues that lead to simple buckets for he and his teammates.
Willie Green wants the Pelicans focused on the next play, the next game, not the next team in the standings. CJ McCollum is trusting that process, knowing that bad losses do not necessarily mean bad games by New Orleans. Williamson's recent frustrations stem from a sore finger, but the 23-year-old is still finding ways to play winning basketball.
Williamson broke down what he has been looking for when facing some of the stacked defenses just sitting in the paint, waiting for another forced layup.
“(I'm looking for players) setting good screens and just finding the open space, whether it's flashing or setting the screen then flashing, then kind of catching the ball on the move,” Williamson said on Tuesday. “We're just finding different ways to score because when teams go in a zone they pretty much want you to stay stagnant so for us it's just staying on the move.”
Green's adjustments have been on point lately, but players win postseason games. Although Trey Murphy III is a zone-busting cheat code, all eyes will be on Williamson throughout the rest of the regular season and playoffs. Thankfully, Williamson's new tricks are a treat to watch for any New Orleans fans. In the Pelicans' win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, the Duke alum connected on two jumpers from outside 10 feet for the first time in his professional career.
Pelicans excited for Zion Williamson's playoff debut
Williamson is not exactly seeing something new with these packed defenses; they've just become more titled toward stopping the generational talent. Getting to see these looks a little bit now will help Williamson and the Pelicans a lot later. The playoffs are a pressure cooker and Williamson will be jumping in the postseason fire for the first time in his professional career this April.
He didn't hold back when talking about any postseason anticipation, but Williamson did stay on point when parroting Green's locker-room lessons.
“It's very exciting. Like I said last game, every game is important for us,” noted Williamson. “We have to take it one game at a time but for us, every game is important because we have to win every one to give ourselves the best chance…Taking it one game at a time. That's going to be my message from here on out.”
The Pelicans have three more games remaining in the regular season. Winning out would go a long way toward making a closing statement on Williamson's All-NBA case. He is averaging 25.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks over the last 15 games.
Next up are the shorthanded Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors on the road. The possibly desperate Los Angeles Lakers await in the regular season finale at Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans should be favored in all three games considering they have a better road record than at home.
The Kings and Warriors have very limited options when it comes to stopping Williamson. LeBron James, Jaxson Hayes and Anthony Davis will provide a bit more resistance, but Williamson seems ready for the challenge after a season of diagnosing different defenses. He's been avoiding tough decisions by reading easy cues which allows the Pelicans to operate at their full potential.
Follow Us
Subscribe