Three years into his NBA career, things weren’t looking good for Zion Williamson. As he missed the entirety of last season due to a mysterious injury, rumors and photos of an alleged weight problem sparked criticism and disappointment for the trajectory Williamson’s career was headed.
This season, he has responded in a huge way. With averages of 25.5 points and 7.2 rebounds on 61% shooting for the 18-11 Pels, Zion has easily been one of the league’s best players this season, and he is firmly in the MVP conversation ahead of the New Year.
The craziest part of all may be the fact that Williamson isn’t even getting the royal treatment yet. Zion, despite taking the leap into superstardom, is the victim of countless no-calls, and it’s something that his teammate, CJ McCollum, has noticed in recent weeks.
McCollum said he doesn’t think Williamson gets as favorable of a whistle as other star players in the NBA.
“Z puts a lot of pressure on the rim, on the defense consistently,” McCollum said. “The same whistle we see for other star players, I don’t feel like it’s the same whistle for him considering the fact that he rarely shoots outside the paint.”
C.J. McCollum suggests that Zion Williamson doesn't get a fair whistle
“The same whistle we see for other star players, I don’t feel like it’s the same whistle for him considering the fact that he rarely shoots outside the paint.”https://t.co/VcR7dwMzNX
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 18, 2022
Has Zion Williamson Emerged As A Top 10 NBA Player?
Coming into this season, we all knew what Zion could do offensively, and he has more than lived up to those standards. Most impressively is his play on the other end of the floor, which has the Pelicans being talked about as legitimate title contenders.
“He’s probably a little bit more explosive than I was,” said Shaquille O’Neal. “He’s playing great, he’s doing what he’s supposed to do. They’re number one in the West. I like what he did the other day — ‘0.1 seconds, I don’t care, I’m gonna throw it down for the fans.’ I like the way he’s playing. I wish him well. I have nothing bad to say about the young fella. Usually, I give a guy three to four years, but he plays hard every game.”
Zion gives his all on every possession, and that attitude has infected the entire team.
Currently, the Pelicans are on a bit of a slide as losers of three straight games, but you can bet that this team will be right in the thick of things when the playoffs commence in April, and you can guarantee that no team will want to match up against these guys in a seven-game series.
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