New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson rocks rims in Chase Center debut

Struggling to contain Golden State early, Zion Williamson played a leading effort in his first against the Warriors in a comeback New Orleans Pelicans win.

Things weren’t easy for the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday afternoon, even if Zion Williamson was still making flying above the rim look like he could do it in his sleep.

Needing to pick up a win over a lower-tier opponent in the Golden State Warriors, the rookie rose to the occasion, acting as the motor behind his team’s crucial comeback victory to even up their season series with the opposition.

Playing in just his 12th game of NBA action, the rookie has quickly given the Pelicans a ton of impact, quickly rising in the Rookie of the Year race against Ja Morant.

Starting the game with some excitement, Williamson hit Alen Smailagić with a jab-step three, his first make from the perimeter since his breakout debut, where he went 4-of-4 from deep against the San Antonio Spurs.

The stroke from three on this look was gorgeous. Though he’s shooting 41.7% this season, it had been over a month since burying his last triple.

Still getting comfortable with his shooting stroke, Williamson does need to keep cleaning up his looks from the line, where he went 1-of-6 in the Chase Center, bringing him down to 60.6% from the line this season.

Later in the first half, Williamson continued to battle what had been tough, early defense from Kevon Looney and Dragan Bender. Though he later wrecked right through Golden State, his looks around the rim didn’t come easy to start this one.

Making a big play to grab his own missed free throw, converting it to a bucket just before halftime, Zion Williamson did not look like someone intent on losing to the Warriors as the team continues to quest for the playoffs.

In fact, according to Jrue Holiday, Williamson was the key voice for the Pelicans as they took a 46-56 deficit into the halftime locker room.

Though Jrue was huge for his team after the break, scoring 21 of his 23 points after halftime while providing 15 assists and 7 rebounds, it was Zion who gave the team their energy.

Limited to just 337 minutes of NBA experience under his built so far, Williamson is proving to be one of the leaders of this team, both on the court and behind the scenes. When the team came out in the second half, their rookie’s message clearly spoke to the hearts of these players.

In particular, the message must have hit Jrue Holiday with a particular string, as the team’s key veteran had an amazing half, including his wonderful feeds to Williamson to help extend the New Orleans Pelicans’ lead.

As the game progressed, the looks just got easier for the Pelicans and Zion Williamson didn’t seem to have any issues battling the Warriors defense.

Finishing with a team-high 28 points, Williamson finished 13-of-20 from the floor with 7 rebounds and 2 assists, also playing lockdown defense against a Warriors team that the Pelicans had to beat.

Providing the Pelicans with heart, hustle, and skill, the addition of Zion Williamson to their lineups has evolved an already exciting young team into one of the league’s hardest match-ups, thanks to their variety of size and skill.

They’ll need to keep winning the easy ones like Sunday’s victory over the Warriors, but having someone like Williamson can make those kinds of games a whole lot easier.

Facing a huge matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, the Pelicans couldn’t afford to lose momentum against Golden State. Led by Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans are now 7-3 in their last ten and riding a two-game winning streak into the Staples Center.