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“This is What I was Trained to do”: 6’6” Zion Williamson Talks About Facing Pressure After a Scintillating 33-Pt Performance

Advait Jajodia
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“This is What I was Trained to do”: 6’6” Zion Williamson Talks About Facing Pressure After a Scintillating 33-Pt Performance

The New Orleans Pelicans played their second straight game without the likes of Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum. But thanks to the dominant performance by Zion Williamson, Willie Green’s boys managed to end the contest with yet another win.

Right from tip-off, the Pelicans looked in control of the game. Entering halftime with a score of 74-47, NOLA managed to lead by as many as 31 points at one point. And after witnessing merely 2 lead changes and 2 ties, the Louisiana-based franchise ended with a huge 126-108 win against the Raptors.

Also Read: Kendrick Perkins Shockingly Puts Tyrese Haliburton and Devin Booker Ahead of Mavericks Guard

Zion Williamson goes ballistic, records season-high performance

“Zanos”, who recorded a 23/8/8 performance in the previous clash, put up his best performance of this season. Having played a game-high of 37:26 minutes, the 22-year-old finished the night with 33 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks… and he managed to shoot at the ball at an efficient 80% from the field.

The undersized yet dominant power forward had a rather interesting postgame interview. During his chat with Jennifer Hale, the 6-foot-6 star spoke about his feelings toward taking on the challenge.

Q: Is it almost fun now, to take the challenge head-on?

Zion: Absolutely! This is what I was trained to do. To be (me) myself, get my teammates involved, and try to win.”

Further, the former Duke Blue Devil narrated an anecdote from the time when his parents prepared him to face the pressure in the NBA at a young age.

“When I first came to my parents that I want to go to the league, instead of saying ‘oh, it’s gonna be like fun, this that’ they gave me the real side of it like ‘this what’s gonna come with it. You gonna face these challenges, this adversity’. So you know, from a young age I knew all that so I’ve been having fun since I was like 6 with it.”

NBA Twitter reacts to Zion’s outing

Head coach Willie Green had some high praises for his All-Star. In the postgame interview, Green lauded the forward:

“He was a monster. He carried us, he continued to make the right decision plays over and over again. When we needed a bucket, we put the ball in his hands. And he got to the basket, he got to the free throw line. He was flying around on both ends of the floor. 4 steals, 2 blocks, defensively he’s in the right spots. Just impressive. Impressive to see.”

NBA Twitter also couldn’t stop going gaga over Williamson’s dominant display.

The 18-point win has now helped the Pelicans improve to a 13-8 record, and they are merely half a game behind the #2 Denver Nuggets. The resurgence of Zion is almost complete.

Also Read: 6ft 3″ Ja Morant Breaks Michael Jordan’s NBA Record With Insane 62″ Jump

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia

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Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over three years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,450+ articles.

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