In his first 17 games this season, Williamson was making 66.7 percent of his shots from the foul line. He has a good enough handle to blow by defenders who press up on him. Jokic is averaging a triple-double this season: 25.1 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 10 assists a game, with a ridiculously efficient 65.8 true shooting percentage. He reinjured his ankle in Game 5 against Cleveland after missing the final five games of the regular season and hadnt done much since the Knicks returned to practice. RJ Barrett scored 26 points and Jalen Brunson had 25 for the fifth-seeded Knicks, who are in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Follow William on Twitter @WillGuillory. This season, that number has plummeted to 59.8percent. Pelicans executive David Griffin said Friday that Williamson (hamstring) was never cleared for 5-on-5 or even full-court 3-on-3 work before the Pelicans' Play-In Matchup against the Thunder, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com reports. @StephenCurry30 went off the man dropped 50 https://t.co/jnbpt4Vpb3 pic.twitter.com/LTd3V0X1Wf, Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) April 30, 2023, Andy Murray (@andy_murray) April 30, 2023. In the 2019 Draft, in addition to Zion Williamson, the Pelicans also got Jason Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Jimmy Butler is a master at drawing fouls. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Though hes made just eight 3-pointers, Williamson has the highest true shooting percentage (66.2%) among the 47 players with a usage rate of 25% or higher. Zion Williamson nearing Shaquille O'Neal's record, posts another Were trying to get him to up that to four or five. Zion Williamsons Rookie Numbers Are Historic | FiveThirtyEight He reassured me that he wasnt going to be a liability and he wanted to stay in there and make sure we get this win, Spoelstra said. His decision-making has been erratic at times, and hes trying to do more than necessary to open up things for his teammates. Ben Simmons and the 76ers have improved on defense since the break, despite the absence of Joel Embiid. Zion Williamson The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs. 1 pick, and not to mention the trade deadline is less than two weeks away. The saddest part for the Pels is McCollum has been deadly in the role the team intended for him next to Williamson and Ingram. 71.4: This is Williamsons shooting percentage this preseason.No, not his free throw percentage. shooting He And this is set to be the seventh time in his career that Butler has had more steals (63) than personal fouls (47). (To boot, many of his "unassisted baskets" were putbacks). Its great playing with a guy like that, Williamson told reporters on Friday, referencing Ball. He practiced everything. Terry Roziers 12-for-23 (52%) is the best mark among 16 players with at least 20 attempts. Just watched the Zion show. That was in a win against a very good Philadelphia 76ers team. Will the East finally overtake the West in the 2021-22 NBA season? He's too big and strong for most guards and too quick and athletic for mostbigs. We all remember Allen for his step-back three in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA finals, forcing overtime against the Spurs and changing that series. Former Pelican Anthony Davis has played about 65% of his minutes at power forward this season, down from *54% over his last two seasons in New Orleans. As his responsibility has grown without Williamson, those mistakes have stood out more. Listed at 284 pounds, there are only three players Tacko Fall, Boban Marjanovic and Jusuf Nurkicwho currently weigh more than Williamson. The pre-playoffs conventional wisdom on how this series might play out. Beyond that this is a roster that needs tweaks. Weve been rewarded for our patience with the debut of the No. A couple of reasons. Gabe Vincent scored 20 points for the Heat, who became the sixth No. At the very least, their offense was rolling through teams nightly. first episode of NBCs new Beyond the Fairway podcast. If defenses ever challenge him, we will see all Zion has to offer. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. But all of his minutes at the five on Wednesday were played alongside four guards. Though hes made just eight 3-pointers, Williamson has the highest true shooting percentage (66.2%) among the 47 players with a usage rate of 25% or higher. WebWilliamson finished his rookie season averaging 22.5 points on 58.3 percent shooting from the floor, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. The downside to dealing for Favors is he isn't quite as stretchy a big man as would be ideal next to No. With new Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sitting courtside, Love fired three long passes for scores, with Butlers basket on the last one capping the run and giving the Heat a 74-66 lead. They have stocked up on a number of young players the team would have imagined could grow and develop alongside Williamson, but instead, most have struggled to adjust to life in the NBA. Were 54% through the 2019-20 season. He did plenty of other things they needed, including staying in the game after getting hurt with 5:05 to play, remaining on the court for a while and then limping to the bench during a timeout before coming back out to shoot the free throws. Like Antetokounmpo, Williamson has been criticized for not attempting shots outside of the paint at any meaningful volume. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. While the Mavs have scored 116.4 points per 100 possessions (No. Instead of driving into the same fate, Williamson stops and pulls up for a smooth jumper, something thats been in his bag since he first started going viral as a teen. The NBA season is in full swing, and we will be here each weekday with the NBC Sports daily roundup Three Things to Know everything you might have missed in the Association, every key moment from the night before in one place. New Orleans, by contrast, has reached 15 3-pointers in a game only once since the start of the new year. Latest on New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson including complete game-by-game stats on ESPN. When Alvarado and McCollum play together, the Pelicans outscore opponents by 3.8 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. If his defender anticipates the screen, he'll take off in the other direction. More than just spacing, on Tuesday New Orleans settling for Brandon Ingram or Zion or other players going at the Jazz in isolation rather than having player movement. Obi Toppin will start in his place. The start of Zion Williamsons NBA career hasnt come easy. For example, look at where two-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobertis before he leaves his feet to challengeWilliamson's shot on this possession: It looks like Gobert believes Williamson should've been whistled for an offensive foul he doesappear to extend his arm ever-so-slightly but Williamson almost knocking Gobertoff of his feet goes to show how powerful he is when he gains any sort of momentum. Zion I was in Mexico, I was standing over I dont remember what course I was playing but I was standing over, I was about 100 yards in, and there was nothing. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. Following him: Nikola Jokic (14.5), Andre Drummond (13.9), Clint Capela (13.0) and Domantas Sabonis (12.8). Opponents generally want to go under ball screens for Williamson. His passing chops caught my eye early in his rookie season and he's shown real signs of improvement this season. Now, they dont take 3s, and when they do, they rarely go in. The things Zion Williamson does he does as well he does VERY well. Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images Back in the spring, after he averaged 26 points per Time will tell if Davis continues to play almost twice as much at the four as he does at the five, though the percentage of his shots that have come in the paint hasnt been much higher when hes played center (59%) than it has when hes played next to McGee or Howard (57%). In Game 7, Sabonis was 8-of-10 on shots in the paint, 2-of- 6 from everywhere else (he took and missed one 3), and Looney dominated him in the paint. Not only can he play through contact, but he can also absorbcontact and adjust while he's midair. Again, it helps when a dominant force is out there demanding attention from the defense. Nekias Duncan of Basketball News put it best: Williamson plays with the speed and dexterity of a Russell Westbrook and the power of a Giannis Antetokounmpo. Remember, he missed the entire 2021-2022 season. 17, and Marcia Chapman, 31, whose Those two plays are a microcosm of Zion Williamsons NBA career. Ball isnt just good a pushing the pace via the dribble. Breaking down stats and film from around the NBA, including a look at Zion's improved ball-handling skills. But since Jan. 1, Ingram is averaging 3.6 turnovers per game, a significant jump from the 2.7 he averaged last season. The Thunders fortunes in close games has them in seventh place in the West. To tie a bow on it, Williamson is a good passer. Fox is a clutch player, but he wasnt on this day, he had his worst game of the series. Williamsons 18.9 ppg in the restricted area are the most in the last 25 years, but his 67.4% shooting in the restricted area ranks just 17th among 47 players with at least 200 restricted-area attempts. The pre-playoffs conventional wisdom on how this series might play out became the reality of Game 7: Curry and the Warriors are going to get theirs, could the Kings score with them when it matters? The Miami Heat needed all season to turn into the team they expected, so no way Butler wants to miss a minute of it now. Smart stuff.). 1, Kia Rookie Ladder: Haliburton climbs to No. Zion Williamson did something last season that we haven't seen in a very, very long time. Add that number to the many What-Ifs? from this season. When he was actually healthy this season, he Its a matchup the Warriors can win, but they have to execute at a high level. Davis could improve his effective field goal percentage on jumpers by turning some mid-range shots into 3-point attempts. Davis has an effective field goal percentage of 39.4% on shots from outside the paint, a mark that ranks 117th among 122 players who have taken at least 200 shots Ranking the best players in the NBA this season, from 100 to 51 The Pelicans have teased with wins over good teams before and still have a lot of work to do to secure a Play-In spot in the West. Your default site has been set for 7 days, Stat Just Happened: Zion Williamson is dominating the paint in a way we haven't seen since Shaquille O'Neal, Shaquille O'Neal-type force of nature with a point guard skill set. Williamsons spectacular performance in the Pelicans 119-118 win over the Timberwolves Wednesday night encapsulated what makes him different from anything NBA fans have seen. His handles, court vision, and facilitating come naturally to the 6-foot-7, 284-pound force who grew up playing point guard. With their loss to the Clippers on Tuesday (in which they led by one with less than three minutes to go), the Mavs are 10-13 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes. Randle struggled in the first round against the Cavaliers, averaging 14.4 points a game on 33.8% shooting (and a dreadful 45.9 true shooting percentage). In total, the Pelicans outscored the Spurs, 29-21 in 8:28 with Williamson at the five. Our aim? We think of Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Ben Simmons as the trio of stars against whom you have to wall up, forcing them to beat you over the top. This isnt a huge surprise after Thibodeau said on Saturday that Randle had not gone through a full practice and had done some shooting, lifting, and pool cardio. It's scary to think that Williamson is doing this while having played less than a season's worth of games in his career. Through December, the Pelicans ranked eighth in the NBA in points scored per 100 possessions, fourth in points in the paint, second in free-throw attempts and 11th in 3-point percentage. I think it helps CJ more than anything.. He made 51 percent of his shots in the midrange after getting traded to New Orleans last season. Its the playoffs, number one. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. one of Embiid's two blocks came tonight against a barreling Zion Williamson | @wendys pic.twitter.com/qHhOzWs7it, NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 10, 2021. With Williamson rarely looking to score outside of the paint he's taken a grand total of eight shots from midrange and 24 shots from 3-point range this season All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. But are they even better than that? While McCollum is dealing with a nagging finger injury that he has downplayed for weeks, he still needs to be much more consistent for the Pelicans offense to gain some traction. I know hes going to see me and try to find me I think it definitely opens up the game for me a lot with a player like him.. Since 2000, the only player who has scoredin the paint at a higher clip than what we're seeing from Williamsonthis season is Shaquille O'Neal. The problem is those shots have not been falling for him as much this year. 2021 Zion Williamson: 20-1972007 Dwight Howard: 21-631993 Shaquille O'Neal: 21-248, Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) January 20, 2021. On the other hand, its hard for Green to ignore his teams minus-26.3 net rating when the starters are on the floor compared to the plus-9.1 net rating it posts when Valaninas is removed. NBA Season Preview: Will Ja Morant become the Memphis Grizzlies first superstar? "Stat Just Happened" is our new series where we'll pair an important stat with how it actually unfolded on the floor. Andrew Wiggins is going to get the LeBron assignment and generally has done well defending him, but the Warriors need Wiggins to have a series like he did in the Finals last year. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Why is that notable? How deep into his offensive bag will Zion Williamson go this With Williamson rarely looking to score outside of the paint he's taken a grand total of eight shots from midrange and 24shots from 3-point range this season you'd think giving him space would be the easiest way to contain him. And he's getting better at reading defences. A close look at Williamsons game will show you an array of skills outside of the viral dunks. Every NBA team's biggest question mark for the 2021-22 season, NBA season preview: 5 players most likely to be first-time All-Stars. If Williamson doesnt have it, he can run into trouble . I was horrific, he said. Zion Williamson But sometimes he tries to force the issue, throwing the entire offense out of whack. Quentin Grimes is also a game-time decision for the Knicks. With Williamson rarely looking to score outside of the paint he's taken a grand total of eight shots from midrange and 24 shots from 3-point range this season The 37 games hes missed this season have certainly made it difficult for Ingram to gain a rhythm. Its not just Zion Williamson: 4 reasons the Pelicans Players his size shouldn't be able to move and change directions as quickly as he does. The last five games have been the highest-scoring stretch (32.4 ppg) of Williamsons career. His shooting form isnt great and his shot is flat. The Charlotte Hornets have surpassed expectations and are currently sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 24-22. His overall shooting numbers are pretty much the same, and hes been fairly reliable as the No. Their average margin of defeat in their 16 losses is 6.3. As the game goes on, there is less off-the-ball movement and more isolation. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Power Rankings, Week 15: Jazz climb to No. If nothing else this postseason, the Kings went from the team everyone thought they wanted to face to the team everyone is glad they didnt have to face. Draft Lottery Odds: 14.0 percent chance at No. Before joining The Athletic, he was a writer at The Times-Picayune/NOLA Media Group, and he's been on the Pelicans beat since 2016. Since Jan. 1, New Orleans is 28th in the league in both 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. There are also times when the Pels need a perimeter player who can get into the paint and collapse the defense. ', Its just Steph Curry. He rather not settle for a low percentage outside shot when hes getting to the basket at will. Regardless, the Pelicans need to find some answers to fix their lagging offense, and theyre running out of places to look. Here are some things of note as we head into the Week 14 weekend. He will bounce back from this, but today stung. More capable teams from the perimeter have run the Pelicans out of the gym on multiple occasions. Perhaps the wear and tear from everything Valaninas did last year and the first half of this season is catching up with him. He shoots the mid-range jumper with a beautiful touch, even if he only attempted 16 of them all season long. In those situations, he is more of a complementary ballhandler who spaces the floor and makes plays in transition. Utah has won six straight, is healthy, and playing well right now. Ingrams passing has gradually improved throughout his four seasons in New Orleans. 3P%:3-Point Field Goal Percentage; 3PT:3-Point Field Goals Made-Attempted; AST:Assists; With Ball crossing midcourt with 21 seconds on the shot clock and DeMar DeRozan trailing the play, the Spurs got cross-matched. While Myles Turner is turning heads down low, T.J. McConnell is leading with effort in the backcourt. The goal for the Pelicans offense in regard to the 20-year-old is the same as it was last season: Get him into the paint with enough runway for him to launch himself toward the rim, where he combines a deft touch with an uncanny ability to slice his wide body through however many defenders might be there (or just bounce off them). Sabonis will be an All-NBA center this season, but at the very least the Kings need the right front-line players next to him to play off his strengths to take the next step. all are 27 or younger. And he once again lived up to the billing. Zion Lateef Williamson, a kid from South Carolina. Dunking on kids half his size in High School. Through the Pelicans first 23 games this season, that rate was up to a little less than 7%. After sweeping their New York back-to-back, the Lakers complete their five-game trip in Philadelphia on Saturday (8:30 ET, ABC). That latter number comes with a small sample size (48 attempts) and will probably improve with time. (To boot, many of his "unassisted baskets" were putbacks). He's gone from being more ofa finisher to more of aplaymaker, getting more opportunities to create for himself out of isolation and in the pick-and-roll. For comparisons sake: The second-worst is Detroits lineup of Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, Bojan Bogdanovi, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, which has a minus-15.4 net rating. 8 seed to beat a No. The player closest to Williamson is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 16.9points per game in the paint. The result is the Pelicans trade their twos for opponent threes, and that math does not add up. from me when watching was the quickness to recover this blocked shot. Zion Williamson has averaged 32.4 points over his last five games. Being a great 3-point shooting team isnt a requirement to win, but it makes life easier. Hard not to be skeptical of the 3-point shooting (though it's great that he shot without hesitation), but what got an audible "Wow!" I stood over that shot [and thought], I dont know where this ball is going to go. He has a good enough handle to blow by defenders who press up on him. That may be just a result of a few different circumstances. According to Synergy tracking, Williamson has seen big jumps in the percentage of his ball-controlling types of possessions (isolation and pick-and-roll ball-handler): Zion Williamson play types via Synergy tracking, Poss = Possessions per game The experience and execution of Chris Paul (who has shot 54% on 69 clutch shots) has been huge, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also 24-for-36 (67%) with the score within five in the last five. It was an all-time performance from an all-time great. Defensively he has struggled as an on-ball defender despite his tools, and on offense is settling for more isolation and is averaging 13.9 points per game (down from 15.3 a season ago) and his true shooting percentage has By the way, there was a Bol Bol sighting in this game, with him going coast-to-coast for the slam. He ranked first among all rookies in This leaves many wondering, what really is Williamsons ceiling, with such a limited, albeit impactful, skill set? Zion Jokic finished the night with 27 points on 21 shots, 12 rebounds, and six assists in a 119-101 Denver win. The fine results from Brooks failure to participate in team postgame media availability during the first round. In what looks on paper to be an even series, this is an advantage the Heat might regret squandering. The Pelicans have beat the Nuggets, Lakers, Mavs and Celtics over the last 11 days, but L.A. was missing both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, while Dallas was missing both Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. WebZion Williamson is an obvious choice here after playing in only 29 games. It's something the Pelicans do often because it makes it harder for his defender to duck underneath the screen. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onNew Orleans Pelicans and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. Back-to-back bad closeouts from Zion leads to five quick points for Utah. The 6-foot-7 Williamson, in his second season out of Duke after becoming the No. He has been among the best players in the league so far this season. Stat Just Happened: Zion Williamson is dominating the He's gone from being more ofa finisher to more of aplaymaker, getting more opportunities to create for himself out of isolation and in the pick-and-roll. Looney played well against Sabonis, but Anthony Davis is at another level right now, can the Warriors contain him? While the Lakers game was an obvious example, weve seen the Pels react similarly in other games during this stretch. COAST 2 COAST @BolBol pic.twitter.com/Nt7w0QqsnQ, Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 20, 2021. Each week during the season, NBA.com writer John Schuhmann surveys the league to compile stats and notes for his in-depth Power Rankings. Zion Zion Williamson Stats, News, Bio | ESPN But among 163 players with at least 100 shots both inside and outside, only Jabari Parker has a bigger differential between his field goal percentage in the paint and his effective field goal percentage from outside the paint. Shooting just 41.9 percent from the field entering the game against New Orleans, Mitchell has began to turn the corner when it comes to his scoring efficiency early in the 2021 season. They couldve used his shooting on a day they went 7 for 34 behind the arc, missing a chance to break open the game early and then hindering any chances of coming back. He shot 42.9 percent as a rookie on 0.6 attempts per game. Will Guillory is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the New Orleans Pelicans.
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