Sixers' Doc Rivers Praises Zion Williamson Ahead of Pelicans Matchup
Although he didn't land in a major NBA market like New York as many expected, former Duke superstar Zion Williamson is thriving in the NBA as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, which doesn't come as a surprise.
As a whole, the Pelicans have struggled as a team this season. Currently, they rank 11th in the Western Conference as they hold a record of 22-29. All team-wide struggles aside, though, the 20-year-old Williamson continues to thrive on a personal level and has already earned tons of respect from the opposition in year two.
On Friday, the Sixers are set to face Williamson for the first time this season. Before flying out to New Orleans on Thursday afternoon, the Sixers held a light morning practice session after getting Wednesday off.
After the session, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers recapped his team's productive day of practice and looked forward to the next matchup against the Pelicans. While the 76ers are clearly the better team on paper, Rivers is well-aware of what the opposition brings as they possess a superstar-caliber player in Williamson.
"He just, you know, keeps getting better," Rivers said about Williamson. "He's so much more than a dunker. He's a playmaker at his size. His speed and power are really unmatched in a lot of ways. You gotta keep him square. He's starting to shoot the little 15 footer well. He's just gonna be one of these guys that keep getting better and better and fast. What he's doing right now is historic, and it's just gonna keep happening."
Despite playing in only 24 games last season, Williamson dominated almost every time he touched the floor. In an average of 27 minutes, the Pelicans standout would collect roughly 22 points per game, making 58-percent of his field goals.
This year, Williamson has not only been healthy, but he's also been a lot more dominant. In 46 games, the Pelicans star is averaging 62-percent from the field and putting up 26 points per game.
Friday's game will mark the first time the Sixers will face Williamson in his young career. It will be the second time Doc Rivers will coach against him. When Williamson faced Rivers' Los Angeles Clippers last season, he checked in for 32 minutes and accounted for 27 points, missing just three of his 16 attempted shots. Williamson's contributions helped the Pelicans dominate the Clippers 135-115.
Now that Rivers has experience coaching against Williamson from last season, we'll see what the Sixers head coach can cook up to try and stop the six-foot-seven superstar on Friday night on the road.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
