According to NBA.com , 76.2 percent of the field goals he made as a rookie were assisted. If a few shots arent falling, then mix it up: get to the paint, get to the free throw line, throw the ball down to (Valaninas). The answer is partially because his rotating head coaches are still learning how to use him. The Pelicans have won four of the five to climb within a game in the loss column of the ninth-place Warriors, with all three head-to-head matchups still to come. Outside of his sometimes inconsistent outside shot, Luka's offensive game is near-perfect. He took 18 threes. The rookie takes over the top spot as he continues to provide a steady hand to Sacramento's playoff push. Golden State's star sharpshooter enjoys another historic moment, which also set his playoff career high. first episode of NBCs new Beyond the Fairway podcast. He will bounce back from this, but today stung. To be clear, Williamsons paint dominance is comparable to Shaquille ONeals, but they are achieved in different ways. To answer key questions, uncover hidden truths and peel back the curtain on why some numbers matter more than others. He has a good enough handle to blow by defenders who press up on him. Following him: Nikola Jokic (14.5), Andre Drummond (13.9), Clint Capela (13.0) and Domantas Sabonis (12.8). Randle struggled in the first round against the Cavaliers, averaging 14.4 points a game on 33.8% shooting (and a dreadful 45.9 true shooting percentage). Your default site has been set for 7 days, Stat Just Happened: Zion Williamson is dominating the paint in a way we haven't seen since Shaquille O'Neal, Shaquille O'Neal-type force of nature with a point guard skill set. And until he shows he can make shots outside the paint, teams will play far off him to take away the drive. Again, it helps when a dominant force is out there demanding attention from the defense. This season, that number has plummeted to 59.8percent. The Pelicans were more efficient from the 3-point line when Williamson was healthy early in the season. Ben Simmons and the 76ers have improved on defense since the break, despite the absence of Joel Embiid. Winning in the postseason with Sabonis is something the Kings need to figure out his lack of floor spacing and defense (although he was better on that end this series) hinder Sacramento in the playoffs. The player closest to Williamson is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 16.9points per game in the paint. Rockets guard struggling to hit jumpers as we dig into 5 noteworthy stats, Plus, a look at zone defense and Al Horford's play without Joel Embiid, Clippers star in midst of worst shooting season as we dig into 5 noteworthy stats. His 3-point shot would be the one nit-picking outlier of his offensive arsenal. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Flipboard (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Durant, Lillard, NBA Twitter react to Curry dropping 50 in Game 7, NBA playoffs first round results, schedule, times and where to watch, There will be a Game 7 Monk, Fox run Kings past Warriors for win, Knicks Julius Randle out for Game 1 vs. Miami Heat, Three things to watch: Miami Heat renew rivalry with New York Knicks, Butler leads Heat to Game 1 win on road against shorthanded Knicks, step-back three in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA finals. Latest on New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN After the ball goes out of bounds, New Orleans immediately gives the ball back to Zion and he adjusts. Last year, his court vision made a noticeable jump as he learned to carry a much larger load without Williamson. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson are taking more shots in the restricted area, where James is still shooting 69 percent. Since 2000, the only player who has scoredin the paint at a higher clip than what we're seeing from Williamsonthis season is Shaquille O'Neal. Even if a team thinks theyhave one player who has a decent shot at hanging with him, they almost certainly don't have two, making switching against the Pelicans adangerous game. Being a great 3-point shooting team isnt a requirement to win, but it makes life easier. His decision-making has been erratic at times, and hes trying to do more than necessary to open up things for his teammates. Before joining The Athletic, he was a writer at The Times-Picayune/NOLA Media Group, and he's been on the Pelicans beat since 2016. As a team the Kings shot under 40%, 25.5% from 3, and had an offensive rating of 104.2. And he once again lived up to the billing. The pre-playoffs conventional wisdom on how this series might play out became the reality of Game 7: Curry and the Warriors are going to get theirs, could the Kings score with them when it matters? Smart stuff.). More space means more opportunity for him to gain steam. Zion Williamson is averaging 26.5 points on 61.7% shooting this season. Hes more methodical with the ball in pick-and-roll situations, which allows him to operate in the midrange area, where hes most comfortable. NEW YORK (AP) Jimmy Butler looked his coach in the eye and said he was staying in the game, no matter how much his ankle might have hurt. He went through a workout before the game, but the Knicks ruled him out about 45 minutes before the start. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans -- 5 percent Any way you slice it, that is a shocking number to see Zion that low. There was no better example than Tuesdays ugly loss to the Lakers, which included Los Angeles splashing a franchise-record 15 3-pointers in the first half on a lifeless Pels squad. The Jazz made 15 more threes than the Pelicans Tuesday. That latter number comes with a small sample size (48 attempts) and will probably improve with time. It gives CJ more of a balance being on the floor where he doesnt have to have the ball in his hands and initiate every time, Green said. NBA Season Preview: Will Ja Morant become the Memphis Grizzlies first superstar? In 68 career games, Williamson has made 19 shots (on 56 attempts) from outside the paint. Allen described the shot, back around 1998, that changed how he perceived golf. What makes Williamson unique in those situations is well, a number of things. Gotta see more effort and discipline from him as he recovers. The Miami Heat needed all season to turn into the team they expected, so no way Butler wants to miss a minute of it now. To tie a bow on it, Williamson is a good passer. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. WebZion Williamson is an obvious choice here after playing in only 29 games. In fact, if you counted only games that werent within five points in the last five minutes, the Mavs would have the best record in the West. Zion is as strong and explosive as anyone who has ever played the game, and when Gobert would play back daring Zion to shoot from the outside, he would use that on a runway, get rolling downhill, get his body into Gobert and get a bucket. NBA players and a few celebrities were blown away and went to Twitter to react. Theyre getting destroyed. The Charlotte Hornets have surpassed expectations and are currently sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 24-22. His crossovermakes him a tough cover in space because of how quickly he takes advantage of the smallest of openings. How does that work? At 33-36, they sit in 12th place in the West, a half game out of the final Play-In position. Back then, they had one of the best records in the Western Conference, with Zion Williamson playing at an All-NBA level. While theyve seen some defensive improvement (see below), the Pelicans still rank 28th on that end of the floor. The 10-year veteran is shooting 43.4 percent from the field, his lowest figure since his second season in the league. Valaninas had some of the best numbers in his career last season, carrying a larger-than-expected load with Williamson sidelined all season. De'Aaron Fox was 5-of-19. I was in Mexico, I was standing over I dont remember what course I was playing but I was standing over, I was about 100 yards in, and there was nothing. He The Knights held opponents to 36.5 percent shooting from the field in 2016-17, which hasnt really been tested outside the paint? When McCollum plays without any other point guards, the Pels are outscored by 2.7 points per 100 possessions. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter. Through the Pelicans first 23 games this season, that rate was up to a little less than 7%. After shooting 6-for-11 on shots to tie or take the lead in the last minute of the fourth or OT last season, Luka Doncic is 0-for-6 this season. It would also help if Green played him next to another point guard more often. He's gone from being more ofa finisher to more of aplaymaker, getting more opportunities to create for himself out of isolation and in the pick-and-roll. But the No. While the Mavericks have the leagues 10th best record, they have its third best point differential (+7.1 per game), that of a team thats 32-12. 1 pick doesnt have to be an above-average 3-point shooter to be a problem for opposing defenses, especially when hes playing the five and surrounded by four other guys that can shoot. The Pelicans players know how hard theyll have to work to match that kind of production with their limited 3-point shooting. There are also times when the Pels need a perimeter player who can get into the paint and collapse the defense. Their average margin of defeat in their 16 losses is 6.3. In the 2019 Draft, in addition to Zion Williamson, the Pelicans also got Jason Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Zion Williamson did something last season that we haven't seen in a very, very long time. Quentin Grimes is available to play. Williamson, a perfectionist, talks about how he doesnt like to waste possessions. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. This season, there are seven players (whove played at least 500 minutes) in the Jimmy Butler Club: There are also two players with more blocks than personal fouls: Rudy Gobert (138, 112) and Jarrett Allen (74, 70). Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images Back in the spring, after he averaged 26 points per Williamson dominated the paint in the little we saw of him last season, but the way he's doing it this season is different. Andrew Wiggins is going to get the LeBron assignment and generally has done well defending him, but the Warriors need Wiggins to have a series like he did in the Finals last year. It doesn't help that Williamson is lightning quick. Zion Williamson scored 30 points on 9-of-13 shooting in New Orleans' 113-109 win over Denver on Sunday, marking the 20th straight game in which Williamson Well, the Mavs average margin of victory in their 28 wins is 14.7 points. Zion Williamson Will Miss Start of Season Due to Injury Again, Which is Extremely Worrying. Since Jan. 1, New Orleans is 28th in the league in both 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. WebWilliamson finished his rookie season averaging 22.5 points on 58.3 percent shooting from the floor, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Hes also shooting 43 percent on midrange It's something the Pelicans do often because it makes it harder for his defender to duck underneath the screen. He still has a lot of developingto do imagine him with even a semi-reliable jump shot and yethe's already one of the league's most dominant scorers, a 20-year-old who is doing things we haven't seen since Shaquille O'Neal.

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