‘I Have Both of Them Again”: Pelicans’ Zion Williamson Drops Stern Warning to NBA Teams

The New Orleans Pelicans became a youthful force in 2019 when they attracted the likes of Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball from the Lakers. Plus, they added a giant in Zion Williamson to further cement their future prospects. But his injury soon crushed the ambitions of Pelicans, who then settled for a forgetful 30-42 record. 

Zion’s preseason knee surgery to repair the torn meniscus ensured that he played only 24 seeding games in his rookie year. With that, his chances of winning Rookie of the Year went off. However, he spent his stretched off-season re-working the biomechanics of his unearthly physique. As a result, today, he feels stronger than ever.

Re-introducing Zion Williamson: The Beast!

Zion recently played a 5-on-5 scrimmage game with his Pelicans mates. This was the first time after taking a rehab break that he was playing a real practice game.

In an interview, he happily narrated his experience as, “Now that I’m healthy, it was great. I was just happy to be out there, (with) no restrictions, 5-on-5, (playing) physical, and just having fun, doing what I love.”

It is not surprising to learn that a player of his caliber won’t enjoy playing under a time restriction, even when they’re put for his own greater good.

Zanos said, “being on restrictions is not fun… Time flies out there. I’d be out there for five minutes, but it felt like one minute because I’d be coming out. Knowing that there are no restrictions and I can just play – not worrying about certain movements – I’m just excited.”

The 20-YO was a threatening defender for the Blue Devils (his college team) for whom he averaged 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks. That average did come down in his rookie season, but he is positive about a comeback.

The 6’6” 285 lbs athlete added on his defense, “I rely on instincts and IQ. Last year, I could only rely on IQ and my body wasn’t able to do certain things. Now I have both of them again. I think it’s going to be a big difference.”

Which other news related to him surprised the fans?

Just a couple of days ago, ESPN announced its Top 100 NBA players list and surprised everyone by awarding Lonzo Ball the 54th rank. He was placed ahead of many supremos and that did not go down well with many people.

Also, they gave Zion a handsome #19 (against last year’s #42). This was still understandable, but not when they placed Ja Morant (Rookie of the Year 2020) at #31.

This also showed how much a fit Zion is viewed as a threat to his competitors. Can Zion live up to the hyped expectations and push the Pelicans into the playoffs? Can he now stay fit for many seasons to come? All these questions will have answers only when he actually walks the talk.