Willie Green: Zion Williamson 'Dominated' Pelicans Practice
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After team Media Day on Monday, the Pelicans held their first training camp practice together as the season draws closer. The Tuesday morning session consisted of light drills and a walkthrough, while the first official 5-on-5 scrimmage took place that evening. Head Coach Willie Green was asked about how Zion Williamson fared during the intense evening portion.
"Z looked amazing," Pelicans coach Willie Green said on Wednesday afternoon. "His strength, his speed. He dominated the scrimmage pretty much. What stood out was his force more than anything," Green went on to say. "He got down the floor quickly. When he caught the ball, he made quick decisions. Whether it was scoring, finding a teammate. It was really impressive to see."
That is most definitely welcome news to Pelicans fans eager to see Williamson on the court. Zion missed the entire 2021-2022 season as he rehabbed from a foot injury suffered last offseason. Without him, the Pelicans were able to win the Play-In Tournament and take the number 1 seed Phoenix Suns to 6 games in the first round. With the addition of Zion back in the lineup, expectations are high for this Pelicans team to be a force in the league.
Zion has put in the work to be in this position and it shows. He has a nutritionist monitoring his dietary intake and a trainer in Jasper Bibbs ensuring Zion is in the best basketball shape possible. All of this has culminated into a healthy Zion ready and willing to wreak havoc on the league. His teammates certainly think he's well on his way.
"He looks like Z," Pelicans forward Larry Nance said. "Dude hasn't played basketball for 500-something days. It's not like none of us are expecting that right away but shoot, I got to be honest with you, dude looks good. It's going to take time for everybody to adjust to him. It's going to take him time to adjust to everybody, but it's hard not to be impressed."
"He looks like the same wrecking ball we all know and love," Nance continued. "Very pleased to say the least."
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- Pelicans Media Day Focused On Competition, Comradery
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