Zion Williamson and his New Orleans Pelicans have defeated the Chicago Bulls in the second game of the preseason. It was 127-125 for the boys from the Big Easy, and they earned the win with a fantastic last period.
In the final 12 minutes, the Pelicans outscored the Bulls 41-18, thus making one very big come back. Williamson was unstoppable in this one. The No.1 pick scored 29 points, missing just one of his 13 shots from the field. But now only that, the convincing manner he showcased was more impressive than his stats.
Although many believed that his transition from the NCAA to the professionals is going to be tough, so far, Zion doesn’t experience any troubles. All the assumptions that all of the other more physical rivals are going to slow down his pace in the attack are simply not correct. Right now, Williamson is not winning the battles under the rim and around it with strength, but instead with his mobility.
“It was not trying to stay still,” Williamson said. “Sometimes, I find myself standing still. If I feel like I’m standing, I circle around and try to find an open spot.”
The Bulls coach, Jim Boylen was shocked to see that such a big person has such smooth moves and excellent movement up and down the court.
“I was amazed at his body control for a guy that big,” Boylen said of Williamson. “I was amazed where it looked like moments where he wasn’t going to get to the rim, but he did.”
It was precisely what Alvin Gentry wanted. New Orleans’ head coach has a vision of how to develop Zion in the best possible way, which includes him using that speed and mobility all the time.
“We have to get him moving,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “We want him in space. We want to play him in space. The way you can do that is you have to get him on the move.”
Though there is one thing, we need to say. As long as he played, the Pelicans were behind the Bulls. And they were behind big time.
Gentry decided to start the final period without Zion, and to send Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Frank Jackson, Kenrich Williams, and Jahlil Okafor on the floor. It appears that this lineup played much better defense than any other. Chicago was shooting 53.7% up until that point but hit just 5 of their 22 shots in the last 12 minutes.
Canadian youngster, Alexander-Walker was the one who stepped up and played superbly in those moments, splashing 11 points in the final sequence. He hit a three to tie the game, and after that scored two free throws to give his team a lead. He was the driving force for the Pelicans, and definitely a game-changer in this event.
Williamson will have another challenge this Friday when he has to face Utah Jazz and back-to-back NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. On the other hand, the Bulls will have a divisional matchup against the Pacers in Indianapolis.
