Zion Williamson left the mark of the biggest stars in his debut in the NBA. The 19-year-old player, the one who has aroused the most expectations since the emergence of LeBron James in 2003, marveled in the blink of an eye, in just six and a half minutes of the fourth quarter. In that short interval he validated the fame that preceded him and the qualities that were so valued when he was chosen by New Orleans at number one in the last draft.
The peculiar and stocky power forward, 1.98 meters and 129 kilos, was a gale against the Spurs. He scored 17 of the 22 points with which he concluded in that last interval that his coach Alvin Gentry gave him, who decided to dose him with short appearances in each of the quarters. Zion showed off an amazing collection of assets and moves in that last stretch. His 17 points were almost consecutive. He made all four of his 3-pointers, grabbed a rebound on defense by towering over Jakob Poeltl, a center who is 17 centimeters taller than him, and stole another rebound from him on offense to score another basket. The Spurs, however, recovered and won the match. (117-121).
Williamson added 22 points, with 4 of 4 triples, 4 of 7 shots from two, 2 of 4 free throws, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 turnovers in just 18 minutes on the court. The integrity and apparent calm with which he absorbs the responsibility and the enormous media pressure surrounding him, can be seen in his words minutes before the match. “Here I am finally,” he blurted out. “I like to play basketball. I’m going to go out there, have fun and compete. It’s basketball. That’s what I do. It’s what I’ve done since I was four years old.”
Williamson’s gale was unleashed when it seemed that Alvin Gentry’s decision to restrict his playing time was going to tarnish or mute his debut in the League. The Pelicans coach prioritizes the cautious plan drawn up by doctors and trainers. He limited his playing minutes to 18. Williamson has just recovered from meniscus surgery on his right knee on Oct. 21, and Gentry doesn’t want to make any concessions to the gallery. He relieved him after his display in the fourth quarter with 5 1/2 minutes remaining. The coach’s priority was to avoid any risk to the physical condition of the power forward.
That objective prevailed, even though it seemed incompatible with the second objective, which was to win the game against San Antonio. He couldn’t beat the Spurs because Aldridge, with 32 points and 14 rebounds, and DeRozan, with 20 points, led Gregg Popovich’s team, which suffered in the end after dominating by 15 points.
January 22, 2020 becomes a date indicated in the sports almanacs. It is the day that Zion Williamson, at 19 years and 201 days and 44 games later than scheduled, made his debut in the NBA, before the anxious media spotlights that had been targeting him for months.
Gentry warned him shortly before the game: “I think everyone in the League and in the country is waiting to see him play. It’s going to be a circus and everyone knows it. What we have to do is concentrate on our work.” The Pelicans coach placed Williamson in the starting lineup along with Lonzo Ball, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Ingram and Derrick Favors.
Zion had a hard time finding the right rhythm. Barely four minutes had passed, and Gentry sat him down. It was the set plan. Give him minutes, but few and in very short sections. Marked by Trey Liles first and Jakob Poeltl later, he started scoring in dribbles.
In the third quarter, after being relieved after another stretch of just three minutes, Williamson publicly staged that he is still on the mend, pedaling a stationary bike in the corner of the court. But it was just the warm-up for his recital in the fourth quarter.
The expectation to see him was enormous. He already was since the summer, since his first training session with the Pelicans, which was attended by 10,000 spectators. The interest increased after his brilliant performances in the preseason games, in which he averaged 23.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 27.3 minutes, with 71.4% shooting success. But he suffered a meniscus injury in his right knee and had to undergo surgery on October 21. According to the forecasts he was going to be between six and eight weeks off. Finally, he debuted 13 weeks and two days after having surgery. During that time, the Pelicans have won 17 games and lost 27. They are 12th in the Western Conference.
Toronto added its fifth straight win, this time against the Sixers (107-95). The Philadelphians accuse the loss of Joel Embiid and also that of Josh Richardson, who was injured when only four minutes of the match had elapsed.
Marc Gasol was infallible: 4 shots from two and 3 triples for a total of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 25 minutes. Serge Ibaka had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Siakam added 18 points and 15 rebounds, Norman Powell, also 18 points and 8 rebounds. The Sixers had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists from Ben Simmons and their top scorer was Tobias Harris with 22 points.
The Lakers had the mission to forget as soon as possible the beating they received in Boston, where they fell by 32 points difference, and they achieved it by winning in New York (92-100). Anthony Davis, with 28 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and LeBron James, with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals, made sure their team took flight after the disappointment against the Celtics.
Phoenix lost to Indiana (87-112). TJ Warren, with 25 points, and Domantas Sabonis, with 24 points and 13 rebounds, carried the offensive weight of the Pacers. The Suns were poor in attack, with 17 points from Oubre, 16 from Booker, and 7 points and 3 assists from Ricky Rubio.
The couple formed by James Harden, with 27 points, and Westbrook, with 28 points, 16 rebounds, and Russell 8 assists, in addition to the contribution of Eric Gordon, with 25 points, led to Houston’s victory against Denver (121-105). In the Nuggets, Jokic had a triple double, with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Juancho Hernangómez added 4 points and 4 rebounds in 14 minutes.
Oklahoma City, with 31 points from Schröder, 19 points from Chris Paul and 18 points and 12 rebounds from Gilgeous-Aleander, won in Orlando (114-120). Jayson Tatum, with 23 points, commanded the victory of Boston against Memphis (119-95).