Ahead of his season-opening matchup towards the New Orleans Pelicans, famous person Nets ahead Kevin Durant struggled to search out an apples-to-apples comparability for Pelicans ahead Zion Williamson.
Because there will not be one.
“I mean you’ve seen guys that size, 6-foot-7, that can get up and down the floor and that can move, but not at that level though,” Durant mentioned after Monday’s observe on the HSS Training Facility in Industry City. “You’ve seen guys like Jason Maxiell and I’m forgetting a few of them. I’m not saying they leap as excessive as Zion, however they have been undersized guys that performed greater. Zion’s a type of guys.
“I’m missing so many guys. Rodney Rogers, tall, 6-foot-6, Charles Barkley bruiser-type guys, but plays bigger. But Zion’s athleticism trumps all of theirs by far, and when you add that to the mix, that makes him a one-of-one.”
Williamson, the No. 1 general decide within the 2019 NBA Draft, didn’t play in any respect for the Pelicans final season as a consequence of a damaged foot however is understood for his just about by no means earlier than seen mix of brute energy, pace, hops and courtroom imaginative and prescient. He averaged 22.5 factors his rookie season and 27 factors in Year 2 earlier than sustaining his foot harm.
Williamson’s yearlong absence – coupled together with his fluctuations in physique weight – makes the Pelicans troublesome to scout. While he was out, New Orleans acquired Portland’s gifted scorer C.J. McCollum and have shaped a Big Three with Williamson, McCollum and All-Star ahead Brandon Ingram.
And now Williamson returns to the Pelicans in the most effective form he’s been in since coming into the league.
“I guess there is some trickiness to it about which Zion do you get?” head coach Steve Nash mentioned. “But I think you’d be foolish not to expect an exceptional player. He’s so talented and gifted, he causes problems for everybody no matter what state his body and game is in. He’s still such a unique athlete and player. So we’ve got to be prepared. We can’t expect anything less than his best (because we can’t afford) to be surprised. When you’re reactive, you’re in trouble.”
Starting middle Nic Claxton is from South Carolina, Williamson’s house state, and mentioned the 2 have been purported to play on the identical AAU workforce one 12 months – together with Memphis’ All-Star guard Ja Morant – however that the workforce didn’t come collectively as a result of Williamson wished to play on an AAU workforce that didn’t have a shoe deal.
Claxton mentioned he’s excited to play towards Williamson and that his Pelicans are a gifted workforce, “but we’ll be ready for them.”
Durant mentioned the season-opener towards Williamson’s Pelicans might be a troublesome recreation for the workforce to win.
“We know those players (Williamson, McCollum and Ingram) individually,” he mentioned. “Willie (Green) is an amazing coach, teacher of the game, good person that the young guys can resonate with, so you know they’re going to play hard for him. So when you’ve got that much talent, you can pretty much be versatile with your group. And we’ll see what happens on Wednesday and we’re looking forward to a tough game.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com