New Orleans Pelicans: The good and bad of Zion Williamson at center
How Zion Williamson playing center impacts the New Orleans Pelicans offense
The improved spacing with Williamson at center was evident right off the bat. With him as the only big on the floor, the Pelicans were able to get quality looks for both himself and his teammates. Often, it was Williamson who took on a larger creative burden, something which he showed himself capable of doing at Duke but has not been tapped into in New Orleans.
In the play below, Williamson sets a screen for Eric Bledsoe. He rolls hard to the rim, sucking Devonte’ Graham over to try to help. Williamson makes a quick read on the short roll to find Josh Hart in the corner and it’s a wide-open three for the Pelicans.
A few moments later, Williamson’s sheer presence near the basket has three Hornets players paying attention to him. He makes the pass to Bledsoe who then just has to make the extra pass to get Redick an open three on the wing. Redick misses, but just the space available is noteworthy.
These wide-open shots are golden for the Pelicans, who entered the game among the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA. New Orleans doesn’t have many players who are threatening from beyond the arc and those who are have struggled. Getting good looks should help the likes of Hart and Redick.
Williamson led the Pelicans with 26 points, and he probably should have had more. He missed some looks which tend to go in, but the important thing is that they were all makeable shots‑especially for him. When he was at the 5, the Hornets’ defenders could not focus exclusively on Williamson. If they converged on him, they knew he could find the open man which, in this case, was someone capable of making a three.
Above, Williamson gets to face PJ Washington up. The Hornets can’t help too much because Redick and Hart are on the weak side. Gordon Hayward eventually rotates over which might deter some players, but not someone with the explosiveness of Williamson. This is an easy bucket for him. Charlotte eventually went even smaller with Miles Bridges at center and this was also easy pickings for the former number one pick.
Even when Williamson didn’t touch the ball, his gravity as a roller created openings for his teammates. Williamson has been used a lot by Van Gundy in face-up or post-up situations, but his uncanny ability to attract defenders by simply getting downhill—be it on the ball, off a cut, or diving off a screen—needs to be utilized more. On this occasion, he rolls hard again for Bledsoe, pulling Gordon Hayward into guarding the rim, and leading to Hart hitting another three.