The NBA world was finally able to see Zion Williamson back in action tonight as the New Orleans Pelicans kicked off their preseason with a game against the Chicago Bulls. Zion made his presence felt early in the game, looking extremely healthy and not having lost any of his athleticism despite his injury history.
Zion’s sophomore season saw him get extended minutes on the court for over half the season before he hurt himself. That year, Zion was one of the most efficient and effective paint scorers in the NBA, averaging over 25 points and becoming an All-Star. He has just played 82 games of basketball, so there is still a lot more that he can offer.
Having signed a contract extension with the Pelicans, Zion is happy with the Pelicans. Now it’s time for him to start dominating the court again. Fans saw him do exactly that with 13 points on 66% efficiency against the Bulls. Zion also grabbed 4 rebounds and got 1 block, 1 steal, and 1 assist.
Zion tonight:
13 PTS
15 MINS
He’s back. pic.twitter.com/TdZKkDd8vV
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 5, 2022
Zion smiling the whole time man. Gotta love it
— KENNY BEECHAM (@KOT4Q) October 5, 2022
Zion Williamson in his first half back:
9 PTS
3-4 FG
3-3 FT
Only 11 minutes. pic.twitter.com/1TvC25DU50
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 5, 2022
Scoot, Wemby, and Zion playing at the same time is poor planning imo!!!
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) October 5, 2022
Its gonna get scary with a healthy Zion back with all due respect 🤫pic.twitter.com/FLLsZnrCZp
— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) October 5, 2022
Zion block. 😤
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 5, 2022
Zion’s about to remind the league who he is
— 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒆 🌩 (@Three_Cone) October 5, 2022
Zion Williamson is all the way back and he’s about to put the league on notice
— John Struck (@coach_struck_) October 5, 2022
Zion is absolutely fascinating to watch man. He moves around like a fat cat 95% of the time and you go, "what's the big deal with this guy?" then BAM his head is above the rim on some superhero shit.
— Barry (@BarryOnHere) October 5, 2022
Zion has already created 2, 3 defensive second technicals on the Bulls.
He’s played 17 minutes
— Justin (@ProPelsTalk) October 5, 2022
Zion is looking tuff rn
— LegendOfWinning (@LegendOfWinning) October 5, 2022
He was smiling the entire game , loved seeing him hoop tonight
— Follow HeavenlyBuckets (@Heavenlybuckets) October 5, 2022
Zion a different type of athlete. Should be hitting someone QB but he want to dunk on people lol. https://t.co/fbUDXZ7Rf6
— JuJu (@JuJu_Da_Gamer) October 5, 2022
this is not the zion we been waiting for😭 i need to see him catch a body while going between the legs
— jalen✰ (@jalenswrld_) October 5, 2022
This the year the Zion backing will be worth it 🥹
— willie (@williedub560) October 5, 2022
Swatted that like a fly🤣🤣
— shark🇸🇴 (@sharkyy__b) October 5, 2022
He moving lighter too shit finna b scary
— FastlaneG (@fastlanegrizzly) October 5, 2022
He didn’t even look like he was trying very hard. Can’t wait for regular season
— Raiderfanman (@Raiderfanman1) October 5, 2022
Zion is a shaq and lebron hybrid
— royce59 (@royce5910) October 5, 2022
The New Orleans Pelicans are looking like one of the stronger teams in the Western Conference. They made the playoffs last year with half a season of CJ McCollum and no minutes from Zion Williamson. With the team being fully healthy now, expectations will be sky high and the team looks prepared to deliver.
Can Zion Williamson Make The Pelicans A Top-4 Seed?
The Pelicans are mostly a young team with the likes of Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Herbert Jones still having years ahead of them. McCollum is the veteran of the lineup and a gifted point guard that can create for every person on the roster.
If Zion comes in and can effortlessly play the way he did in 2020-21, the Pelicans will be terrifying. There is still no defensive answer for Zion and there is a lot of offensive versatility around him with BI, CJ, and Devonté Graham off the bench. There are specialist defenders in Jones and Jose Alvarado. The pieces are there, Zion needs to be the cherry on top for the Pelicans and dominate this season.
