SVG on the New Orleans Pelicans: “Zion Gives them a Chance to Win.”
Former coach Stan Van Gundy is high on the New Orleans Pelicans and thinks Zion Williamson will give them the confidence to win.
Stan Van Gundy likes what is happening with the New Orleans Pelicans.
He made this clear on a recent appearance on The Pelicans Podcast, where he gave rave reviews to David Griffin’s team building and the influence of Zion Williamson.
First off, if you don’t follow SVG on Twitter, you should. He is hilarious and does not hold back his opinions.
Van Gundy is one of the more respected commentators in the NBA, mostly due to his success as a coach and the fact that everyone seems to like him.
SVG said he thought Zion’s presence immediately gave the team more confidence and an identity, which he thinks can propel them into the playoffs and beyond.
Here’s a short clip of his appearance:
Zion Williamson can take the New Orleans Pelicans to a new level defensively.
Even though the New Orleans Pelicans went just 10-9 with Zion, it was clear they were a different team, especially defensively, as Van Gundy noted.
He also added that there is no way to “quantify” attitude, and Zion has brought a completely new attitude to this young Pelicans’ team.
Lonzo Ball agrees and spoke about the impact Zion has had, saying:
"“With Zion on the court, we’re a great basketball team, honestly He does so many things for us on both ends of the ball. We’re just happy to have him back.“We can switch pretty much one through four with him. And then he can also guard bigs, rebound with bigs and block shots. We like having him on the court.”"
Zion’s defense has been largely overlooked but the Pelicans have improved defensively as a team since he made his debut, though they have a long way to go to be elite.
With Zion, the New Orleans Pelicans have a real shot at the playoffs and could be a contender as soon as next year if they have a good offseason.