A Dazzling Debut
After missing the first 44 games of the season, Zion Williamson made his NBA regular season debut on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs. The explosive Pelicans rookie has finally been unleashed, and by scoring 17 points in under four minutes, has put the rest of the league on notice.
There is an unthinkable amount of noise that surrounds the 19 year old star and last night’s game was no different. One could not imagine what Zion was feeling during the first half, but his actions may give us a hint. As a starter, Zion played the first half in cautious, short bursts of action. He passed up shots and seemed as if he was just trying to blend in. He did not use his strength and physicality in any attempts to overpower defenders or make big plays. Think of the first half as the Pelicans taking Zion off the shelf and dusting him off.
Last night’s game was truly a tale of two halves for Zion Williamson. After being taken off the shelf and properly dusted off, Zion was able to find his rhythm and once again make his presence felt on the court. The fourth quarter is where Zion made the highly anticipated debut that everyone expected from him. It was just last year that Zion needed to improve his three-point shooting. It was just last year that Zion captivated everyone with his insane dunks. Last night, Zion went 4-4 from beyond the arc and ended the game with zero dunk attempts. While Zion did make some very impressive plays in his debut game against the Spurs, his first dunk is keenly awaited.
With Zion in the starting lineup, the Pelicans have to change the roles of their other players. This could mean many things for star players like Jrue Holiday, who recently returned from an injury, and Brandon Ingram, who is having his best NBA season thus far. While Zion will most likely be seen as the star player, he is on strict load management restrictions and will be for the foreseeable future. This is why other Pelicans players must continue to step up if they want to make a push for the number eight and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
There are very few adjectives that would adequately describe Zion Williamson. He has been faced with outrageous expectations since he was in high school, and not only does he meet those expectations, he exceeds them. Zion has brought a new and exuberant energy to the sports world in general and now he is finally able to bring that energy to New Orleans, where he received “MVP” and “We Want Zion” chants just last night. Zion Williamson is a major contributor to a new wave of athletes. These new athletes are the future of the sports we know and love. Last night, Zion made a statement that could simply be interpreted as “I’m here."