Zion’s return to basketball

Ever since Duke star Zion Williamson was drafted first overall last year by the New Orleans Pelicans, the comparisons to superstar LeBron James have been endless. After all, at 6’6 and 284lbs, Zion has a build and game similar to that of the King. With that being said, however, an injury derailed the start of Zion’s 2019-2020 season. Zion’s first game back came on January 22nd against the Spurs, where he shot 8-11 from the field, including 4-4 from 3-point range, scoring 22 points.

Since his return, Zion has averaged nearly 20 points a game to go along with over 8 rebounds, while only playing on average 26 minutes per game. With the bar set incredibly high before even playing an NBA game, Zion’s play since returning from injury has been a mixed bag.

On one hand, he has been incredibly efficient, shooting over 61 percent from the field. On the other hand, he has struggled immensely from the free throw line, shooting just over 53 percent. Not to mention the fact that after his opening game against the Spurs, Zion has not made a single 3 point shot since. Zion has also struggled finding his teammates, averaging under 2 assists per game. While this could be attributed to a bad Pelicans supporting cast, one cannot dismiss this statistic for a player whose passing ability was touted as one of his greatest strengths by scouts a year ago.

Overall, while Zion has been incredibly efficient from the field, the need for a more developed jump shot, combined with struggles from the foul line and passing the rock lead to more questions than answers surrounding his game. Zion may very well become an unstoppable force in the NBA, or his game may become too one-dimensional, with teams fouling him every time he drives to the basket and sending him to the charity strike.

Riley Dulin - Sports Editor