What they have in their corner is Wardell Stephen Curry. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. This isnt a huge surprise after Thibodeau said on Saturday that Randle had not gone through a full practice and had done some shooting, lifting, and pool cardio. Being a great 3-point shooting team isnt a requirement to win, but it makes life easier. WebZion Williamson is an obvious choice here after playing in only 29 games. Weve been rewarded for our patience with the debut of the No. Latest on New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN Maybe Valaninas production would improve if Green trusted him more and made him a bigger part of the offense. Pels VP Griffin: Zion wasn't cleared for 5-on-5, Pels' Williamson: Will return 'when I feel like Zion', Zion won't return in time for play-in, Griffin says, Zion's return from hamstring injury still up in air, Artist shows off behind-the-scenes look at Zion Williamson's 'Mount Zion' tattoo, Zion cleared for activity, to miss 2 more weeks, Pelicans say Zion to miss at least 2 more weeks, Pels say injured Zion progressing, set for imaging, Three big questions facing the Pelicans with Zion Williamson still out, NBA teams are tossing millions at postseason spots that might not be there. And much of that late-game success is due to their success from beyond the arc. It wasnt just from the play-in.. Dropping a 7-foot-4 centre with a 7-foot-10 wingspan to the paint should work but Marjanovic probably wasn't expecting Williamson to take off around the dotted line and jump so high that he could softly lay the ball in. pic.twitter.com/SLa2UhinrP, Orange is the New Openly Black (@NekiasNBA) January 20, 2021. According to NBA.com , 76.2 percent of the field goals he made as a rookie were assisted. This leaves many wondering, what really is Williamsons ceiling, with such a limited, albeit impactful, skill set? It's something the Pelicans do often because it makes it harder for his defender to duck underneath the screen. Jokic finished the night with 27 points on 21 shots, 12 rebounds, and six assists in a 119-101 Denver win. In those situations, he is more of a complementary ballhandler who spaces the floor and makes plays in transition. Kevon Looney's historically elite rebounding provided separation in a winner-take-all Game 7. The Knights held opponents to 36.5 percent shooting from the field in 2016-17, which hasnt really been tested outside the paint? Zion Williamson The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting. After getting traded to New Orleans, McCollumembraced the opportunity to show he could be more than just the single-minded scorer he was in Portland. Its how Zion ended up with 32 points against Gobert and the Jazz. According to NBA.com , 76.2 percent of the field goals he made as a rookie were assisted. Execution on high-leverage possession matters. Losing perhaps the most dominant paint scorer in the game certainly changes the dynamic drastically. The start of Zion Williamsons NBA career hasnt come easy. Then he played 6:37 at center in the fourth quarter, when he scored 17 of his 22 points. David Griffin and Pelicans management put players such as Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe around Zion this year, which does not create a lot of spacing. Stat Just Happened: Zion Williamson is dominating the Nothing worked consistently. In particular, McCollum tends to rely on his own offense rather than moving the ball and allowing the offense to breathe when it starts to break down. They averaged 124 points in that series behind Butlers 37.6 per game, but they pulled this one out with old-fashioned defense and rebounding that has always worked so well before for them at this time of year. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports. Through his first 85 career games, NBA defenses have not found an answer for Zion, but that has not stopped his game from being critiqued. 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. Through December, the Pelicans ranked eighth in the NBA in points scored per 100 possessions, fourth in points in the paint, second in free-throw attempts and 11th in 3-point percentage. In the age of Bag Twitter, where fans are dazzled by unnecessary dribbling and exaggerated step backs into contested jumpers, dominating the paint is not enough to prove your name should be with the best. In San Antonio last week, the Hornets drew up a play to get Rozier one of his clutch 3s. Its a matchup the Warriors can win, but they have to execute at a high level. Williamsons spectacular performance in the Pelicans 119-118 win over the Timberwolves Wednesday night encapsulated what makes him different from anything NBA fans have seen. Davis has an effective field goal percentage of 39.4% on shots from outside the paint, a mark that ranks 117th among 122 players who have taken at least 200 shots from the outside (not including backcourt shots). The result is the Pelicans trade their twos for opponent threes, and that math does not add up. Draft Lottery Odds: 14.0 percent chance at No. Check out the podcast, where Allen also discusses social justice, his mindset as a player, and much more. The player closest to Williamson is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 16.9points per game in the paint. Explore all New Orleans Pelicans NBA player stats - including scoring, rebounding, shooting, assists & more! John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. I stood over that shot [and thought], I dont know where this ball is going to go. The Warriors now move on to a TNT/Disney television executives dream Curry vs. LeBron James. Zion Williamson | New Orleans Pelicans | NBA.com He added a 3-pointer during it, but his biggest contribution was with his outlet passing. Tacko Fall Is 7-Foot-6. And Hes Breaking Basketball. 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. Minimum 100 FGA in the paint & 100 FGA outside the paint. Stephen Curry had one of the greatest games of his career and that is saying something and the Warriors survive and advance, winning Game 7 on the road 120-100. He hasnt played 20 consecutive games at any point this season. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. Shooting just 41.9 percent from the field entering the game against New Orleans, Mitchell has began to turn the corner when it comes to his scoring efficiency early in the 2021 season. More space means more opportunity for him to gain steam. The 10-year veteran is shooting 43.4 percent from the field, his lowest figure since his second season in the league. In what looks on paper to be an even series, this is an advantage the Heat might regret squandering. "Stat Just Happened" is our new series where we'll pair an important stat with how it actually unfolded on the floor. Of course, close games count. That is by far the worst figure of any five-man lineup with at least 300 possessions this season. Weve got to have more attention to detail. The Pelicans have beat the Nuggets, Lakers, Mavs and Celtics over the last 11 days, but L.A. was missing both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, while Dallas was missing both Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Since Jan. 1, New Orleans is 28th in the league in both 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. Golden State's star sharpshooter enjoys another historic moment, which also set his playoff career high. Harrison Barnes is a free agent and may be priced out of what the Kings want to spend. His 3-point shot would be the one nit-picking outlier of his offensive arsenal. WebZion Williamson is an obvious choice here after playing in only 29 games. And he's getting better at reading defences. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. While McCollum is dealing with a nagging finger injury that he has downplayed for weeks, he still needs to be much more consistent for the Pelicans offense to gain some traction. "Stat Just Happened" is our new series where we'll pair an important stat with how it actually unfolded on the floor. So, because he had space he was able to attack and be really aggressive.. Part of what works for Zion is Stan Van Gundy putting him in positions to succeed. Ingrams passing has gradually improved throughout his four seasons in New Orleans. But he hasnt been as consistent as last season in showing up for his teammates every night or keeping the offense flowing with sound decision-making. Happy Friday! Last season, Williamson scored 15.8 points per game in the restricted area, the highest mark in the 25 years for which we have shot-location data. Our aim? Only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson are taking more shots in the restricted area, where James is still shooting 69 percent. His overall shooting numbers are pretty much the same, and hes been fairly reliable as the No. They gradually narrowed the deficit before halftime, blew by the Knicks with a 21-5 run in the third quarter and pulled away to a double-digit lead in the fourth. The problem is those shots have not been falling for him as much this year. To be clear, Williamsons paint dominance is comparable to Shaquille ONeals, but they are achieved in different ways. Zion Williamson is averaging 26.5 points on 61.7% shooting this season. Were just playing great basketball, Butler said in a postgame interview on the court with ABC, while still showing a limp after a fourth-quarter ankle sprain. Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images Back in the spring, after he averaged 26 points per His shooting form isnt great and his shot is flat. Power Rankings Notebook: Zion Williamson with the ball, plus We all remember Allen for his step-back three in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA finals, forcing overtime against the Spurs and changing that series. And he's getting better at reading defences. The Knicks were without All-Star forward Julius Randle because of a sprained left ankle and they surely missed him when the transition points dried up and it became a half-court game. He doesnt shoot well outside of 15 feet, but remains an efficient offensive player, because he ranks fifth in free throw rate (54 attempts per 100 shots from the field) among the 251 players with at least 200 field goal attempts. OU football: Brent Venables says hard times necessary for Sooners Its his field goal percentage. Recently, Giannis Antetokounmpos Finals MVP has done great work for the Anti-Bag Twitter campaign. Spacing has been a constant issue for this team, even when its two best shooters CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy are on the floor together. Again, it helps when a dominant force is out there demanding attention from the defense. Zion Williamson For example, look at where two-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobertis before he leaves his feet to challengeWilliamson's shot on this possession: It looks like Gobert believes Williamson should've been whistled for an offensive foul he doesappear to extend his arm ever-so-slightly but Williamson almost knocking Gobertoff of his feet goes to show how powerful he is when he gains any sort of momentum. Williamson has recorded eight 30+ point performances without a basket outside the paint. He shoots the mid-range jumper with a beautiful touch, even if he only attempted 16 of them all season long. That starts with shooting Zion made a jump hook in the third quarter of this game that was his first made basket outside the paint this season, reports Andrew Lopez of ESPN. If you were amazed by Curry's record-setting performance on Sunday, let's just say you weren't the only one. The downside to dealing for Favors is he isn't quite as stretchy a big man as would be ideal next to No. 3-point shooting: A. Williams, who made 25.5% of his college 3-point shots in two years, made just one of his first eight deep shots as a pro. But the No. Listed at 284 pounds, there are only three players Tacko Fall, Boban Marjanovic and Jusuf Nurkicwho currently weigh more than Williamson. Zion Williamson Any time youre down, especially an All-Star like him, youre going to miss him and we did tonight, Barrett said. (To boot, many of his "unassisted baskets" were putbacks). Try a week on us. More capable teams from the perimeter have run the Pelicans out of the gym on multiple occasions. 1 overall pick in 2019, is averaging 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists, but Of course, two possessions after that lob over DeRozan, Williamson was too quick for Poeltl after the Spurs back-up center blocked Williamsons initial shot. I was horrific, he said. It's worth noting that Williamson was the Looney played well against Sabonis, but Anthony Davis is at another level right now, can the Warriors contain him? Until defenses figure out how to take the basics away from him, asking him to dig in his bag and get complicated just for the sake of complexity is missing the point. Golden State's star sharpshooter enjoys another historic moment, which also set his playoff career high. Hes more methodical with the ball in pick-and-roll situations, which allows him to operate in the midrange area, where hes most comfortable. When the Pelicans play their five best players outside of Williamson this season, they arent just getting beat. In that same game, we also saw a glimpse of how good defense forces Williamson to get deeper into his bag, allowing everyone else to see how special he really is. 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). Though hes made just eight 3-pointers, Williamson has the highest true shooting percentage (66.2%) among the 47 players with a usage rate of 25% or higher. They scored at least 120 points in 16 of their 36 games and were held under 100 just once. 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. Zion Williamson did something last season that we haven't seen in a very, very long time. Obi Toppin will start in his place. Quentin Grimes is also a game-time decision for the Knicks. Pelicans Stat Leader Highlights: Zion Williamson scores 26 points vs. Philadelphia 76ers 00:17 Trey Murphy III dunk off the full-court Zion Williamson pass | In his first 17 games this season, Williamson was making 66.7 percent of his shots from the foul line. This alone demonstrates that Zion is already more than the limited player hes often painted to be. We need to appreciate Zion Williamsons commitment to efficiency. The Warriors need a Klay Thompson game or two. If not, Davis only played 4% of his minutes at power forward last season. all are 27 or younger. Poor Derrick Favors didnt stand a chance. Add that number to the many What-Ifs? from this season. They have stocked up on a number of young players the team would have imagined could grow and develop alongside Williamson, but instead, most have struggled to adjust to life in the NBA. 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. However, this was not just a great job on breaking the streak season, this was something Sacramento can build on and move into true contender status. Jakob Poeltl picked up Ball and DeRozan was forced to match up with Williamson trailing the play. The New Orleans Pelicans have surrounded Zion Williamson with the pieces that should help him flourish in Year 1. Outside of his sometimes inconsistent outside shot, Luka's offensive game is near-perfect. He went through a workout before the game, but the Knicks ruled him out about 45 minutes before the start. pic.twitter.com/D6eYVF3ubi, John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) January 23, 2020. On the other hand, its hard for Green to ignore his teams minus-26.3 net rating when the starters are on the floor compared to the plus-9.1 net rating it posts when Valaninas is removed. Its easy to spot their damaged confidence when other teams start racking up triples quickly. He played 49% at the four the season before (alongside DeMarcus Cousins and Emeka Okafor). 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. They started strong and led most of the first half, but the Heat eventually got the Madison Square Garden crowd quieter and quieter as the game went on. All nine of their clutch shots were 3-point attempts and they made just two of the nine. Malik Monk was 4-of-14. Williamson plays with so much force and controls it so well that it makes backing off of him tricky. Also, 44 percentof his baskets were unassisted, similar numbers to Jaylen Brown and Tyler Herro. New Orleans, by contrast, has reached 15 3-pointers in a game only once since the start of the new year. Dropping a 7-foot-4 centre with a 7-foot-10 wingspan to the paint should work but Marjanovic probably wasn't expecting Williamson to take off around the dotted line and jump so high that he could softly lay the ball in. Nekias Duncan of Basketball News put it best: Williamson plays with the speed and dexterity of a Russell Westbrook and the power of a Giannis Antetokounmpo. Hes taken 82% of his shots in the restricted area, the third highest rate among 251 players with at least 200 field goal attempts and down just a tick from last season (85%).
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