The New Orleans Pelicans managed to grab their first win of the new calendar year. While the Pels did blowout the Brooklyn Nets 112-85, Zion Williamson failed to impress fans. Playing merely 25:38 minutes, Williamson had a quiet night, recording merely 10 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds. However, things got heated at one point in the contest, when the southpaw was slapped with a technical foul. Coming to his star player’s defense, coach Willie Green criticized the officials for the no-call.
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With 1:09 minutes remaining in the third period of the clash, Zion found himself with the ball just outside the restricted area. Soaring up to flush an emphatic dunk, the forward’s attempt was rejected by Day’Ron Sharpe. However, the 6ft 6” star believed that he was fouled. Expressing frustration, the youngster was livid as he argued with the referee. These actions resulted in Zanos getting punished with a technical foul – a $2,000 fine that the league will be sending his way.
Just like Zion, Willie Green also wasn’t a huge fan of the officiating. Following his team’s huge win, Green called out the referees for the lack of foul calls that Williamson has been receiving. Standing up for the 23-year-old, the NOLA head coach complained to the reporters:
“You go back and watch, you can clearly see he’s getting hit. He’s not a guy that normally even argues but tonight it was really clear… It doesn’t matter his size and strength, he’s getting fouled like the next guy,” Green said.
Unfortunately, owing to his strength, Zion doesn’t receive a majority of the foul calls that other players get. According to stats, Willie Green is not inaccurate in implying that Zion hasn’t been receiving foul calls.
This season, Williamson has only attempted seven free throws per game. The 7 free throws that he’s attempting per game are the highest among the New Orleans Pelicans players. However, it’s the lowest across his career. Zion attempted 7.4 free throws per game during his rookie year. This number went up to 8.7 attempts in his second season and 8.6 during his third campaign.
Clearly, there is no “superstar treatment” that Williamson has been receiving.
Zion Williamson has had a subpar season
Zion Williamson has had an injury-riddled season. After playing merely 85 regular season games in his first two campaigns, the former Duke Blue Devil missed out on the entirety of the 2021-2022 season. Further, the highflyer suited up for only 29 games in the previous campaign.
This season, Williamson has been healthy. Out of the 34 regular season games, he has suited up for 28 games. While this is a great sign for the organization, a massive dip in his production is certainly concerning.
Averaging career-lows in points (22) and rebounds (6), the two-time All-Star has had a lackluster season. The man hasn’t been as aggressive as he was in the past few seasons. Instead of being the All-NBA player that he was always hyped up to be, there could be a huge possibility that he doesn’t even receive an All-Star nod this time.
Shaquille O’Neal has been merely one of the many Zion Williamson critics. Apart from ripping apart the youngster for his physical condition, the TNT analyst also claimed that the Pels star was not ready to take the mantle from LeBron James just yet.
Currently, Brandon Ingram and co. are holding onto a solid 20-14 record, sitting sixth in the West. Once Williamson starts performing like the superstar that he was touted to be, there is no doubt that the Louisiana side could finish the regular season as a top-four team in the Western Conference.
