New Orleans Pelicans: 3 Goals for a successful season for Zion Williamson

New Orleans Pelicans: Goals for Zion Williamson

#3: Improve defensively

Like most rookies, Zion Williamson looked lost on defense at times last season.

He didn’t get the training camp or early season reps, so he was sometimes slow to rotate and left out of position.

Zion also has the bad habit of leaking out early from his defender, which is nice when it leads to a full-court alley-oop from Lonzo Ball, but when it leads to an offensive rebound for the other team, it’s not so great.

The New Orleans Pelicans aren’t likely to ask Zion Williamson to defend the other team’s best big, but he needs to get better at blocking shots from the weakside.

Zion averaged less than half a block per game last season, which is crazy for a guy with his athleticism.

He needs to get better at rotating from the weakside to protect the rim, which he shouldn’t have to do as often now that the Pelicans have a real center in Steven Adams.

But it’s not just about blocking shots. Zion needs to quit selling out on defensive rebounds (unless he has switched to the perimeter, then leak out, young man!). Also, when he does block a shot, he needs to stop swatting it into the 15th row.

It’s great for highlights, but the other team gets the ball right back so who cares? The best shot blockers keep the ball in play and tip it to a teammate, which Zion should be able to do considering how long he can stay in the air.

If Zion Williamson stays healthy, becomes more of a playmaker (especially on the perimeter) and improves defensively, the New Orleans Pelicans will have a shot to make the leap into the Western Conference elite.