It didn’t take long for Zion Williamson to impress his new teammates on the New Orleans Pelicans.
Most of the guys on the roster have never played with Zion before, so a lot has changed since he last stepped on the court, including Zion himself, as he is looking a lot slimmer and faster in early practice footage.
But some things have stayed the same, one of which is that Zion Williamson is still dominating. I’m not one who normally gets too worked up about practice or workout videos, but after he missed a whole season, and now hearing some of the things coming out of camp, it’s difficult not to be hyped about Zion’s return.
Some of Zion’s new teammates got their first taste of playing against him in 5-on-5 drills yesterday and as usual, he left an impression.
Zion Williamson dominating in Pelicans’ training camp
Coach Willie Green is also getting his first look at Williamson in full-speed practices, and he was impressed by what he saw, saying this after last night’s intra-squad scrimmage:
"“Z looked amazing. His strength, his speed. He dominated the scrimmage pretty much. And then he did a good job of looking for his teammates. What stood out the most was his force, more than anything.”"
Larry Nance Jr. added that Zion didn’t miss a single shot in the scrimmage and agreed that he dominated, calling him a “wrecking ball.”
Larry Nance Jr. providing further detail on Zion Williamson from Tuesday's initial intrasquad scrimmage: "He looks like the same wrecking ball we all know and love." https://t.co/1P0F7fUA5O
— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) September 28, 2022
Zion worked with a personal chef and team strength trainer all season to get leaner, but he hasn’t lost any of his trademark strength according to Trey Murphy III, who was on the receiving end of it in practice:
"Strong, very strong and ready to play... He pushed one man and the other man pushed me outside the lane so I'd say he's back" - Trey Murphy on Zion's play in practice pic.twitter.com/QCzhpWI0GZ
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) September 28, 2022
Of course it is only practice and of course his teammates are going to say nice things about him, but even taking those things into account, all of what we’ve been hearing out of Pelicans’ camp so far points to a big season for Zion Williamson.
If he gets back to the 27 point, seven rebound force of nature that we saw before, New Orleans now has the roster around him to really make a run at the Western Conference.
Hype is at an all-time high and these first preseason games can’t get here fast enough.