After sitting out the entire 2021-2022 season, Zion Williamson put in an impressive 13-point, 4-rebound performance in the preseason.
zion williamson he missed the entire 2021-2022 campaign with various injuries. For the longest time, NOLA Fans had no idea when their star striker would return to the lineup.
However, in early summer, the front office confirmed that “Zanos” would be available for the 2022-2023 season.
We recently saw the 2021 All-Star in NBA action after nearly 17 full months. Granted, it was just a preseason clash, but Williamson showed us sparks of being his dangerous self.
Playing against the Chicago Bulls, the 6-foot-7 youngster had 13 points and 4 rebounds, shooting 66.7% from the field and 100% from the charity sideline.
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After their first preseason clash, the NOLA leader CJ McCollum he recently gave fans a glimpse of the enhanced player Zion had become. Praising the 22-year-old for taking care of himself over the past few months, CJ said:
“Obviously we have a great player in Zion Williamson who has been cleared to resume basketball activities. He actually played in his first preseason game and I want the fans to know that this is a guy who works hard and has done a great job of taking care of himself the last 3-5 months that I’ve been around. around him since the exchange in terms of seeing the way he approaches the game, in terms of how he has transformed his body, to get his mind right.”
“I hope Zion Williamson dominates”: CJ McCollum
Zion recently signed a 5-year, $194 million rookie-max extension. Now that the former Duke Blue Devil is healthy and cleared to play basketball, there will of course be high expectations for him.
In the same interviewMcCollum went on to reveal the expectations he had placed on the southpaw. Calling Williamson a “generational talent” and comparing him to the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the 6-foot-3 combo guard said:
“I expect him to dominate. I hope he makes the game easier for a lot of us on the court, I hope he pays a lot of attention to it.
With his athleticism, his ability to pass, his ability to press the rim, take us to the bonus. This is a guy who is a generational talent.
He averaged 27 points per game, shooting over 60% from the field. I think it’s him, Shaq and maybe Kareem who have ever put up those kinds of numbers. The production that he has, that he puts out when he’s on the court, is like nothing we’ve ever seen.”
I look forward to Zion giving his best and playing the best basketball of his career, not only individually but collectively with us as a team as we move into the playoffs and try to make some noise this season.”
Can Zion lead the Pelicans to the playoffs in 2023?
This is a question that has been on every New Orleans fan’s mind.
Last season, players like CJ, Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valancuinas led the Pels to the ninth-best record in the West. Willie Green’s boys managed to defeat the Spurs and Clippers in the play-in tournament to secure a playoff spot.
Zion is one of the most dominant players in the league when healthy. And by adding a player of his caliber to a roster that has already appeared in the postseason, he will only improve NOLA’s chance of making the playoffs again.
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