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Zion Wakes up Hype in NBA Debut

Zion Williamson lived up to the hype in his NBA debut for Pelicans, with one concern.

(Video Transcript): 

Zion sure woke up. As you may have heard he made his NBA debut and despite a slow start and minutes restriction, the number one pick dropped 17 straight for the Pels in just over a three minute stretch in the fourth going on to score 22 points in just 18 minutes--the most points in under 20 minutes in a player’s debut in the shot clock era.

To be honest I don’t find this surprising. Zion Williamson was a known commodity. He’s a physical freak with a motor to compete. He even flashed the one thing people said he was missing to be complete, range from three as he hit four or two more than Ben Simmons’ career total. Maybe the best thing about that was simply seeing the Pelican not afraid to let it fly. 

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Again, there’s no question about Zion’s ability, my only concern as far as he is concerned is durability. Now obviously he needs time to get into game shape but I do worry about his level of explosion at his weight. And to use the word du jour for all us non doctors weighing in, his gait.

With that said, the kid plays hard and smart. When combined with his natural gifts, I shudder for defenses trying to match up with him as a small ball five, there’s absolutely nothing to doubt. As long as Zion stays healthy, the young star who was dormant will be dominant.