Zion Williamson was the marquee star at NBA Summer League. The New Orleans Pelicans rookie star is known for highlight dunks, but his stage time was short-lived in Las Vegas. Making use of the summer developing his other skills will be more important.
Zion Williamson made his New Orleans Pelicans debut at the Las Vegas edition of NBA Summer League action. Williamson officially donned a Pelicans jersey against the New York Knicks and R.J Barrett. ESPN gave the game the full hype treatment, for good reason.
Everyone wanted to see Zion in action. Williamson is a walking highlight on a basketball court. It is news to no one that Williamson is capable of dunk contest feats during regular-season contests.
However, the New Orleans Pelicans coaching staff will want to see other skills developed this summer. In order to reach his full potential, Zion Williamson has to fill out his skill set. Those highlight dunks cannot be empty stats in close losses.
The New Orleans Pelicans current roster is a balanced mixed of promising young NBA veterans and foreign talent making their first trek to the NBA Summer League series.
Zion Williamson gave the NBA Summer League fans what they wanted, though in limited minutes. Williamson will need to work on his cardio to handle the pace of play and on better ball-handling skills in general.
Alvin Gentry will want the New Orleans Pelicans to get out in transition quickly. Zion Williamson’s ability to handle the ball will dictate how fast the team can push the pace.
The New Orleans Pelicans will play quickly as long as Alvin Gentry has the title of head coach. Zion Williamson will be the featured star in New Orleans for the foreseeable future. In order for that equation to add up to playoff appearances, Williamson must be able to lead the break.
The Pelicans need shooters to surround Williamson, and guards capable of protecting the ball. Without a proper initiator on offense, too many possession go wayward. Losing opportunities to sloppy turnovers is a quick way to lose games.
Skipping the transfer of custody of the ball cuts down on turnovers. Zion will be causing chaos on defense. His ability to swipe steals, grabbing boards and block shots will put him in the middle of the action. The more he has the ball in open play, the better he will adjust to the pace of the NBA game.
Williamson pushing the pace up the court as a lead ball-handler would attract all the opposition’s attention. Anytime he is rumbling free to the rim, the opposition will send help defense or suffer the resulting highlight dunk by Zion.
Coach K trusted Zion to run the break at Duke. Can Williamson earn Alvin Gentry, Lonzo Ball, and Jrue Holiday’s trust this summer? He needs to average less than one turnover in transition per game to fully gain their confidence.
According to a recent interview with Jim Eichenhofer, Zion is looking forward to pushing the pace.
"“I’m very excited, because whoever gets the ball, push it. It just creates open space for everybody to go to work. I think everybody loves it, and we’re ready to just start playing (in games).”"
Zion Williamson on fast-paced style of play #SummerPelicans will expect to generate: "I'm very excited, because whoever gets the ball, push it. It just creates open space for everybody to go to work. I think everybody loves it, and we're ready to just start playing (in games)."
— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) July 4, 2019
Inpatient and hopeful passes might have looked great against college competition. Against NBA talent, those long passes look like turnovers leading to overwhelming fast breaks coming back at the Pelicans basket.
That is not the look Williamson is going for in Las Vegas. Desperation is not a good look, even down on Freemont Street.
2) Zion Williamson went on the record with his opinions on the NBA game. The level of shooting talent and space to create is a level above his Duke University days. So are the low post defenders.
Zion Williamson gave a straight-forward answer when asked for his first impressions of the NBA game. Williamson believes he can leverage his refined low post moves, creating buckets and trips to the foul line.
Williamson’s low block passing will be challenged when the opposition sends a second defender. Finding shooters when passing out of double teams will create easy buckets. Sloppy passing creates easy buckets as well, but on the wrong end.
Zion is used to being the most athletically gifted player on the court. He will be expected to dominate NBA Summer League games, but will not be the unquestionable force on the court in regular-season action.
Time spent in the low post will be a challenge. Williamson will finally face layers of taller, longer defenders. Zion had trouble in the NCAA tournament when facing off against Tacko Fall. The low block bullies will test Williamson’s patience as well.
How will Williamson react to rougher treatment? Not only will his skills be tested, so will his competitive spirit. Will Zion resort to brute force, or show off some of his ballerina-esque footwork moves?
3) The New Orleans Pelicans are on the constant lookout for available shooting talent. Until Zion Williamson makes opposing teams respect his three-point range, he could find the paint packed to thwart any drives.
The modern NBA is a shooters league. Zion Williamson’s body and game fit the 1980s perfectly, but that does not help the team. Williamson has to develop consistency on a year-2020 jumper to realize his full potential.
Williamson knows it is a make-or-miss league. He has been impressed with the spacing which is due to the shooting proficiency of the surrounding talent. He told Jim Eichenhofer after a recent New Orleans Pelicans practice:
"“(In NBA), everybody can shoot. You can’t really help (defensively) too much, otherwise it’s an open three. I love the spacing. It’s almost like a dream come true for me. Because every time I attack the basket, there is space.”"
Zion Williamson has to prove he should be included in that statement. He only shot 68 percent while at Duke University. Most of his shots were layups or dunks.
A consistent jumper comes from a solid foundation. Williamson’s weight has been questioned as much as his shot mechanics. Fears that Williamson could become too big to play too far from the rim are probably overstated.
DeMarcus Cousins was useful even after his Achilles injury, mainly because he could shoot three points effectively. Williamson will look to step into plenty of open jumpers in Las Vegas. Not every play requires a contact-inducing drive.
Williamson should look to take at least two trail-man three-point attempts per game this summer. He should actively look for these opportunities. The coaches should point them out when he misses his chance.
Exerting extra energy to crash a board is not a smart play. Cousins was hurt over-extending on a missed free throw. Playing smarter in these moments would allow Zion to play harder at the end of the game. That is when weary legs under a heavy body can leave shots short, especially in an 82-game season.
His catch-and-shoot three-pointer form should get some practice as well. The New Orleans Pelicans coaching staff knows Williamson can catch and drive. Find a couple of spots per game to run Williamson off a pin-down screen.
Can he catch and shoot without hesitation? Can he do so consistently, or at least enough to create other options because the defense respects his game? There should be opportunities, especially on an inbounding play with an exhausted shot clock. It will be interesting to see if he takes those chances, and how the coaching staff reacts.
4) Zion Williamson will be refining his low post moves and outside shot throughout the season. He will be challenged in the paint and could find it exhausting working on the perimeter. That is when Williamson’s passing skills will be put to the test.
Passing skills go beyond the highlight passes between the legs, skipped down the lane or to the opposite corner. Williamson is capable of making extraordinary passes, but those are only occasionally needed.
The more important skill is making smart simple passes to escape trouble before it has a chance to swarm. Almost every possession requires a few simples passes to allow off-ball action to develop. These simple passes lead to more eye-pleasing ball movement teamwork.
The defense looks silly and the simple passes actually help to conserve energy. The New Orleans Pelicans just rid themselves of a star not willing to lift up his teammates. Zion showing his willingness to spread the love to the rest of the roster will endear him to his teammates.
Rookies have to earn their respect, even if they’ve been hyped as much as Zion Williamson. Part of earning that respect is giving off easy passes, for easy dunks, when other stars would be selfish. Zion’s passing could be the biggest key to unlocking the team’s playoff potential.
A sharing culture leads to a happy locker room. Williamson is known for his smile. Passing out a few highlight assists to his teammates would cause that Zion smile to become infectious within the locker room.
#5) The last thing to watch is the first thing everyone will ask if you saw. Zion Williamson dunks will lead the Sportscenter highlight reels.
Zion Williamson could be the most forceful athlete in Las Vegas, even with the UFC’s Fourth of July event in town. His dunk carries the same force as a knockout punch.
Someone will have their Vegas Vacation ruined by a Williamson windmill. A Zion dunk can demoralize a fringe foreign prospect, ala Vince Carter. And it will be glorious, causing the first huge Sin City Summer League celebrations to stretch from the desert to the swamps.
The reactions will be near unanimous. Exclamations of ‘oh my!’ will be followed by questions of ‘Did you see that?’
Of course, everyone will have saw the dunk. It is why the majority of the audience is watching. Those dunks are what sold out the NBA Summer League tickets for the day.
Anyone tuning in live will hear the announcers loud anticipation just before the dunk happens in real time. A replay will immediately follow. The highlight shows will loop the dunk endlessly, or until the next day’s dunk happens.