Draymond Green Reveals What Changed in Zion Williamson Since Trade Deadline

Zion Williamson is a player reborn. Since the trade deadline, the 24-year-old star has been lighting it up for the Pelicans despite the squad being eliminated from playoff contention. In his last four outings, the big man has dropped 29, 30, 20, and 22 points. It’s probably the best he’s played since his rookie year.

The main reason behind Zion’s resurgence is obviously his health. The North Carolina-born baller missed 27 games at the start of the season due to a pulled hamstring, but it hasn’t affected him much over the last two months. The injury bug has plagued him for the last two years, including a surgery that ended his 2021-2022 season early. Fortunately, Zion is trending in the right direction, so much so that Draymond Green even commended him for it.

The Warriors star discussed Zion’s vast improvement on his podcast with Baron Davis. “He looks like he’s in incredible shape. He look as explosive as he did at Duke,” said Green. That wasn’t all. Draymond then explained why the Pelicans 4-man has been so much more effective since the trade deadline.

“He’s so much more aggressive,” Draymond revealed. “He’s putting a lot of pressure on the rim.” As is the case with a lot of basketball conversations, Zion’s point total doesn’t tell the full story. He’s been averaging 6.4 rebounds per game in the month of March, along with 6.1 assists. “Zion is always gonna come very forceful,” added Green.

Unfortunately, Zion didn’t suit up for the Warriors’ latest matchup against the Pelicans on March 28th, so Green didn’t get to have another matchup against the former Duke Blue Devil. The Dubs dominated the game 111-95.

While Zion and Green didn’t battle it out on Saturday, the two have clashed two times this season out of four matchups. On an episode of The Draymond Green Show from fall 2024, the four-time NBA Champion admitted that playing against the 26-year-old beast was no easy task.

“He ain’t just strong, he’s powerful. Taking him on two days in a row, my back hurt, my hips hurt, I’m banged all up. I’m hurt, brother,” said Draymond to his co-host Davis.

The Warriors have won all four matchups against the Pelicans, but it wasn’t due to Zion’s lack of effort. In his two games, he put up 31 points and 12 points, but neither were enough to outmatch Curry and company’s offensive onslaught. Regardless, it’s nice to see Zion Williamson playing meaningful basketball once again.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

Read More