After sitting for the entire 2021-2022 season, Zion Williamson had an impressive 13 points and 4 rebounds performance in the preseason.
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Zion Williamson missed out on the entire 2021-2022 campaign with several injuries. For the longest time, NOLA fans had no clue as to when their star forward would make his return to the lineup.
However, earlier in the summer, the front office confirmed that “Zanos” would be available for the 2022-2023 season. Recently, we saw the 2021 All-Star in NBA action after almost 17 whole months. Agreed, it was merely a preseason clash, but Williamson did show us sparks of being his dangerous self.
Playing against the Chicago Bulls, the 6-foot-7 youngster put up 13 points and 4 rebounds, while shooting 66.7% from the field and 100% from the charity stripe.
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After their first preseason clash, NOLA leader CJ McCollum recently gave fans an insight into the improved player Zion had become. Lauding 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 to just kind of let the fans out there know this is a guy who works hard and has done a great job at taking care of himself in the last 3 or 5 months that I have been around him since the trade 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 expect Zion Williamson to dominate”: CJ McCollum
Zion was recently signed to a 5-year, $194 million rookie max extension. Now that the former Duke Blue Devil is healthy and cleared to play basketball, of course, there will be high expectations set for him.
In the same interview, McCollum further went on to reveal the expectations he had set for 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 from him to dominate. I expect from to make the game easier for a lot of us out there in the court, I expect from him to have a lot of attention on him. With his athleticism, his ability to pass, his ability to pressure on the rim, get us in the bonus. This is a guy who is a generational talent. He averaged 27 points a game, shot over 60% from the field. I think it’s him, Shaq and maybe Kareem who have ever put up those type of numbers. The production that he has, that he puts forward when he’s on the court, is unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”
I expect Zion to put his best foot forward and play some of the best basketball of his career, not just individually but collectively with us as a team as we make this playoff push & try to make some noise this season.”
Can Zion lead the Pelicans to the playoffs in 2023?
This is one question that has been on the minds of every New Orleans fan.
Last season, the likes of CJ, Brandon Ingram, and Jonas Valancuinas led the Pels to the 9th best record in the West. Willie Green’s boys managed to defeat the Spurs and the Clippers in the play-in tournament to clinch a playoff berth.
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 already made a postseason appearance, is only going to improve NOLA’s chance at making the playoffs again.
Also Read: Zion Williamson Was Once Accused of Illegally Gifting Parents $950,000 House to Attend Duke
