We believe that we can do something special.. Zion Williamson Out Indefinitely; Pelicans Blame Officiating When Alvarado and McCollum play together, the Pelicans outscore opponents by 3.8 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. Zion Through the Pelicans first 23 games this season, that rate was up to a little less than 7%. He 71.4: This is Williamsons shooting percentage this preseason.No, not his free throw percentage. Were together, at home, on the road, through the good and through the bad. That was in a win against a very good Philadelphia 76ers team. He has a good enough handle to blow by defenders who press up on him. The most significant change for New Orleans at the start of the year was obvious: the Pelicans lost Williamson to a right hamstring strain in a Jan. 2 loss to Philadelphia. Zion Williamson nearing Shaquille O'Neal's record, posts another Karl-Anthony Towns (left) and Anthony Edwards have sparked Minnesotas offensive improvement since the break. Zion Williamson did something last season that we haven't seen in a very, very long time. Zion Williamson Stats, News, Bio | ESPN Why is that notable? Stephen Curry had one of the greatest games of his career and that is saying something and the Warriors survive and advance, winning Game 7 on the road 120-100. Part of what works for Zion is Stan Van Gundy putting him in positions to succeed. If not, Davis only played 4% of his minutes at power forward last season. Allen described the shot, back around 1998, that changed how he perceived golf. That may be just a result of a few different circumstances. You expect it to be tough, coach Erik Spoelstra said. The Pelicans rank fifth in both pace (103.3 possessions per 48 minutes) and fast break points per game (16.4). Nekias Duncan of Basketball News put it best: Williamson plays with the speed and dexterity of a Russell Westbrook and the power of a Giannis Antetokounmpo. What makes Williamson unique in those situations is well, a number of things. It was a pretty forgivable fairway, so I couldnt really hit it in the desert, it was just a matter of how close I was going to get it to the pin, Allen said. The prototypical basketball player in NBA 2K22 is the center. The pre-playoffs conventional wisdom on how this series might play out. Listed at 284 pounds, there are only three players Tacko Fall, Boban Marjanovic and Jusuf Nurkicwho currently weigh more than Williamson. Power Rankings Notebook: Zion Williamson with the ball, plus To tie a bow on it, Williamson is a good passer. WebFind detailed Zion Williamson Advanced Stats on FOXSports.com. Zion Williamson Prune back the tops of the geraniums, leaving about 8 inches 17, and Marcia Chapman, 31, whose He is in the MVP conversation early this season (although his defense could hold him back in that race). Zion Williamson | New Orleans Pelicans | NBA.com Washington, but he quickly pivoted and curled off a cross-screen from Bismack Biyombo, who had slipped out of a ball-screen for Hayward . In Game 7, Sabonis was 8-of-10 on shots in the paint, 2-of- 6 from everywhere else (he took and missed one 3), and Looney dominated him in the paint. shooting Golden State's star sharpshooter enjoys another historic moment, which also set his playoff career high. Their win in Boston on Monday began a stretch where the Pels are playing 12 of 14 games against the Eastern Conference. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. He talked about it with pro golfers Will Lowery and Doug Smith on the first episode of NBCs new Beyond the Fairway podcast. WebWilliamson finished his rookie season averaging 22.5 points on 58.3 percent shooting from the floor, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Execution on high-leverage possession matters. Lets break down a few of the problems: The most important skill in the modern NBA is the one the Pelicans lack the most. Fantasy Basketball PF Exit Interview: Is drafting Zion Williamson We all remember Allen for his step-back three in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA finals, forcing overtime against the Spurs and changing that series. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. The 10-year veteran is shooting 43.4 percent from the field, his lowest figure since his second season in the league. WebFour arrested in Mason County after man found shot dead near Tahuya a constant gripe of head coach Willie Green, https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2023/03/17040208/CJ-drop-off.mp4, https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2023/03/17040230/CJ-corner.mp4, when McCollum shares the court with Daniels, are outscored by 2.7 points per 100 possessions, have a staggering plus-19.5 net rating this year, has been the main cause of his rocky season, https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2023/03/17040300/BI-TO-2.mp4, https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2023/03/17040325/BI-TO.mp4. Zion Williamson - Wikipedia For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. WebZion Williamson is an obvious choice here after playing in only 29 games. With a full season officially under New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamsons belt, we got to see the dominance that made him a viral sensation in high school, executed at the NBA level. The Miami Heat needed all season to turn into the team they expected, so no way Butler wants to miss a minute of it now. Nekias Duncan of Basketball News put it best: Williamson plays with the speed and dexterity of a Russell Westbrook and the power of a Giannis Antetokounmpo. In that same game, we also saw a glimpse of how good defense forces Williamson to get deeper into his bag, allowing everyone else to see how special he really is. David Griffin and Pelicans management put players such as Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe around Zion this year, which does not create a lot of spacing. Zion Williamson Shooting Stats NBA Stats | FOX Sports The problem is those shots have not been falling for him as much this year. Hall of Famer Ray Allen is as detail-oriented, and as process-driven a shooter as the league has ever seen. We think of Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Ben Simmons as the trio of stars against whom you have to wall up, forcing them to beat you over the top. The Warriors need a Klay Thompson game or two. 3-point shooting: A. Williams, who made 25.5% of his college 3-point shots in two years, made just one of his first eight deep shots as a pro. The NBA season is in full swing, and we will be here each weekday with the NBC Sports daily roundup Three Things to Know everything you might have missed in the Association, every key moment from the night before in one place. Remember, he missed the entire 2021-2022 season. Over the last 10 years, Kawhi Leonard (four times, including this season) and Tyus Jones (three times, including this season) are the only players whove had more steals than personal fouls (with a minimum of 500 minutes played) more than twice. Ja Morant is probably going to be a top-three pick in the 2019 NBA Draft because of his star potential. As he has done since college, Curry digs deep when everything is on the line and proves his doubters wrong this time with 50 points including seven 3-pointers, plus eight rebounds and six assists thrown in. Jakob Poeltl picked up Ball and DeRozan was forced to match up with Williamson trailing the play. Were just playing great basketball, Butler said in a postgame interview on the court with ABC, while still showing a limp after a fourth-quarter ankle sprain. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans -- 5 percent Any way you slice it, that is a shocking number to see Zion that low. Golden State will need more out of Jordan Poole than they got against Sacramento. (By the way, notice how low Steven Adams set the screen for Williamson? Pelicans Stat Leader Highlights: Zion Williamson scores 26 points vs. Philadelphia 76ers 00:17 Trey Murphy III dunk off the full-court Zion Williamson pass | NBA Jam partners and why New Orleans Pelicans are building Last year, his court vision made a noticeable jump as he learned to carry a much larger load without Williamson. Time will tell if Davis continues to play almost twice as much at the four as he does at the five, though the percentage of his shots that have come in the paint hasnt been much higher when hes played center (59%) than it has when hes played next to McGee or Howard (57%). Teams can't simply sell out on his drives and giving him space when he has the ball in his hands makes themvulnerable to handoffs. Those two plays are a microcosm of Zion Williamsons NBA career. Valaninas had some of the best numbers in his career last season, carrying a larger-than-expected load with Williamson sidelined all season. The truth is, his ceiling is high and his bag is deep, but until NBA defenses find a way to limit him in the paint, we wont see him digging too deeply. Then theres defense Zion has a long way to go on that end still. It seems that Larry Nance Jr. or Jaxson Hayes, while less talented, do a better job of giving this seasons team what it needs on both ends. Stan Van Gundy introduced the NBA world to Point Zion this past season. Zion Williamson has averaged 32.4 points over his last five games. He didnt sound close to playing. The Pelicans players know how hard theyll have to work to match that kind of production with their limited 3-point shooting. But watching Valaninas this year underscores how he hasnt been same force he was during his first season with the Pelicans. Warriors vs. Lakers is a fascinating series. Knicks All-Star F Julius Randle (ankle sprain) is expected to be out for Game 1 vs. Miami today, sources tell ESPN. Williamson dominated the paint in the little we saw of him last season, but the way he's doing it this season is different. Zion No wonder everything on offense looks difficult for them. The answer is partially because his rotating head coaches are still learning how to use him. While theyve seen some defensive improvement (see below), the Pelicans still rank 28th on that end of the floor. According to NBA.com , 76.2 percent of the field goals he made as a rookie were assisted. The saddest part for the Pels is McCollum has been deadly in the role the team intended for him next to Williamson and Ingram. As he showed Sunday, that can be enough. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter. The reports of the death of the Warriors era have been greatly exaggerated. Williamson finished 14th in true shooting percentage and fourth in PER last season, largely because he refused to settle for shots he wasnt comfortable taking. The man is putting up historic stats. Through his first 85 career games, NBA defenses have not found an answer for Zion, but that has not stopped his game from being critiqued. Again, it helps when a dominant force is out there demanding attention from the defense. But even then, they were still in the bottom five in the league in 3-point attempts, a constant gripe of head coach Willie Green. New Orleans Pelicans news fromFanSided Daily, 5 bold predictions for Cowboys against Patriots, Bills zoom into AFCs drivers seat, Chiefs reach crisis and more. Shooting was the main issue the team shouldve addressed at the trade deadline. That figure jumps to 106.6 in half-court sets when the four other starters play with someone other than Valaninas. I was horrific, he said. The Warriors have been in these moments for a decade and had the poise to handle it. The Thunders fortunes in close games has them in seventh place in the West. Players his size shouldn't be able to move and change directions as quickly as he does. In the age of Bag Twitter, where fans are dazzled by unnecessary dribbling and exaggerated step backs into contested jumpers, dominating the paint is not enough to prove your name should be with the best. Its not just Zion Williamson: 4 reasons the Pelicans That latter number comes with a small sample size (48 attempts) and will probably improve with time. He made 51 percent of his shots in the midrange after getting traded to New Orleans last season. Zion also is moving better off the ball this season. Looney played well against Sabonis, but Anthony Davis is at another level right now, can the Warriors contain him? WebZion Williamson is an obvious choice here after playing in only 29 games. Even if a team thinks theyhave one player who has a decent shot at hanging with him, they almost certainly don't have two, making switching against the Pelicans adangerous game. Here you can see Williamson notice Embiid is ready to rotate again for another block. UPDATE: The Knicks have made it official, Julius Randle is out for Game 1 vs. Miami. This season, that number has plummeted to 59.8percent. He took 18 threes. Remember, he missed the entire 2021-2022 season. His handles, court vision, and facilitating come naturally to the 6-foot-7, 284-pound force who grew up playing point guard. Smart stuff.). They couldve used his shooting on a day they went 7 for 34 behind the arc, missing a chance to break open the game early and then hindering any chances of coming back. He added a 3-pointer during it, but his biggest contribution was with his outlet passing. So why dont we see these tools more frequently? More space means more opportunity for him to gain steam. Hes more methodical with the ball in pick-and-roll situations, which allows him to operate in the midrange area, where hes most comfortable. The goal for the Pelicans offense in regard to the 20-year-old is the same as it was last season: Get him into the paint with enough runway for him to launch himself toward the rim, where he combines a deft touch with an uncanny ability to slice his wide body through however many defenders might be there (or just bounce off them). Its an admirable philosophy, one that many developing young players could benefit from. The Charlotte Hornets (12-13) and Cleveland Cavaliers (9-10) have been better than that in clutch games. 1 when they toppled Milwaukee in the first round. 1, Kia Rookie Ladder: Haliburton climbs to No. 1 overall pick in 2019, is averaging 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists, but 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. While hes doing that, hes a developing shooter from the perimeter, from the standpoint finding more opportunities to get clean looks.. The downside to dealing for Favors is he isn't quite as stretchy a big man as would be ideal next to No. The Hornets actually lost a clutch game on Sunday, falling in overtime to Phoenix. Our aim? Its easy to spot their damaged confidence when other teams start racking up triples quickly. Davis still ranks fifth in the league with 13.2 points in the paint per game. In the 2019 Draft, in addition to Zion Williamson, the Pelicans also got Jason Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Zion Williamson While McCollum is dealing with a nagging finger injury that he has downplayed for weeks, he still needs to be much more consistent for the Pelicans offense to gain some traction. In what looks on paper to be an even series. With Ball crossing midcourt with 21 seconds on the shot clock and DeMar DeRozan trailing the play, the Spurs got cross-matched. Friday's notebook: Zion Williamson shows off skills at The 6-foot-7 Williamson, in his second season out of Duke after becoming the No. To answer key questions, uncover hidden truths and peel back the curtain on why some numbers matter more than others. This aggressive Curry had some help, but as it has always been with the Warriors, it starts with him. Through December, the Pelicans ranked eighth in the NBA in points scored per 100 possessions, fourth in points in the paint, second in free-throw attempts and 11th in 3-point percentage. pic.twitter.com/D6eYVF3ubi, John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) January 23, 2020. That stretch continues with a back-to-back at home, where the Pels are hosting the Orlando on Thursday (8 ET, League Pass) and Atlanta on Friday (9 ET, League Pass). Poor Derrick Favors didnt stand a chance. But the No. While the Mavs have scored 116.4 points per 100 possessions (No. Since Williamson injured his hamstring, Valaninas hasnt provided that reliable third option needed to take pressure off McCollum and Ingram. PPP = Points per possession. first episode of NBCs new Beyond the Fairway podcast. This is where Alvarados absence (hes missed the last seven games with a stress reaction in his right tibia) hurts more than some suspect. Devonte Graham has shot 10-for-18 (56%) on clutch 3-pointers, the second-best mark among 39 players whove attempted at least 15. Even if a team thinks theyhave one player who has a decent shot at hanging with him, they almost certainly don't have two, making switching against the Pelicans adangerous game. After the ball goes out of bounds, New Orleans immediately gives the ball back to Zion and he adjusts. Were 54% through the 2019-20 season. Zion Williamson The Jazz made 15 more threes than the Pelicans Tuesday. Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News. He did plenty of other things they needed, including staying in the game after getting hurt with 5:05 to play, remaining on the court for a while and then limping to the bench during a timeout before coming back out to shoot the free throws. The 10-year veteran is shooting 43.4 percent from the field, his lowest figure since his second season in the league. Kyle Lowry scored 18 points. Your default site has been set for 7 days, Stat Just Happened: Zion Williamson is dominating the paint in a way we haven't seen since Shaquille O'Neal, Shaquille O'Neal-type force of nature with a point guard skill set. And until he shows he can make shots outside the paint, teams will play far off him to take away the drive. Davis 34.2% from mid-range ranks 43rd among 47 players with at least 100 mid-range attempts. They leverage their superior advantage in height with strength and vertical leaping ability, enabling them to protect the paint. Sunday was a disappointing end to a breakthrough season for the Kings. He played 49% at the four the season before (alongside DeMarcus Cousins and Emeka Okafor). Winning in the postseason with Sabonis is something the Kings need to figure out his lack of floor spacing and defense (although he was better on that end this series) hinder Sacramento in the playoffs. Breaking down stats and film from around the NBA, including a look at Zion's improved ball-handling skills. Including his preseason minutes, New Orleans is a plus-52 in 54:03 with Williamson at center. Since 2000, the only player who has scoredin the paint at a higher clip than what we're seeing from Williamsonthis season is Shaquille O'Neal. The Pelicans were more efficient from the 3-point line when Williamson was healthy early in the season. Stephen Curry dropped 50 in Game 7 Sunday the most points ever scored in a Game 7 lifting the Warriors into the second round with another epic performance. one of Embiid's two blocks came tonight against a barreling Zion Williamson | @wendys pic.twitter.com/qHhOzWs7it, NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 10, 2021. Our guys know how to do it, theyve got to go out there and put it together, Green said. Imagining Victor Wembanyama on Every 2023 NBA Lottery Team 1 pick, and not to mention the trade deadline is less than two weeks away. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting. You can e-mail himhere, findhis archive hereandfollow him on Twitter. Second, it's the most paint pointsanyone has averaged in a single season in almost two decades. Pelicans executive David Griffin said Friday that Williamson (hamstring) was never cleared for 5-on-5 or even full-court 3-on-3 work before the Kevin Huerter shot 2-of-9. Happy Friday!