Zion Williamson, welcome to the NBA.
Far too often the No. 1 draft pick in any of the major sports doesn’t quite explode onto the scene like most thought he would.
Take for example this past year’s No. 1 NFL draft pick in Kyler Murray. Despite a great college career, he found out very quickly that the NFL is a whole new ballgame, and struggled, tossing 12 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of just 87. 4. It’s not that he doesn’t have the potential to become a phenomenal NFL QB, but often times, that first season more a time of adjustment from college, not necessarily a record breaking season.
However, Zion’s debut Wednesday night reversed that idea, as the rookie from Duke, who had been out since before the season tipped off with a foot injury, scored 22 points for the New Orleans Pelicans, including a phenomenal shooting run midway through the fourth quarter in which he scored 17 straight points in just under three minutes of action. Talk about making the most of your time on the floor.
It was to be expected that such a big-time player with big-time talent, would start his pro career with a big bang. However, as the fourth quarter rolled around, fans, and even the commentators were wondering if his day would end with just five points, not a super impressive NBA debut. But that’s when he checked into the ballgame and proceeded to score on the New Orleans' next seven possessions, including going 4-4 from three point range, displaying the brilliant footwork and deep shooting touch that allowed him to achieve national fame while with Duke last season.
However, a sign of any great player, he wasn’t satisfied.
“It was nice to get back out there,” he said in the postgame press conference. “But I didn’t have the outcome I wanted, so I just have to get better and move onto the next game.”
While this early performance wasn’t up to his standards, it was most definitely up to the standards of most of the fans watching as they battled the Spurs, as he wowed the nation in his debut. If this was any indication of what the rest of his rookie season will be, he should be given Rookie of the Year right now. Of course, though, just one performance cannot determine the course of one’s play for the whole season, but it definitely gets it started off on the right track. Look at the New York Mets’ home run hitting star Pete Alonso quick start to 2019, his rookie season, as he became the first player in MLB history to have 11 extra base hits in his first 10 games. He went onto win the AL Rookie of the Year. If Zion follows the path Alonso took, there’s a good possibility he can beat out others like RJ Barrett, Ja Morant and Tyler Huerro for the prestigious award.
It’s also important to note that with big plays comes a big spotlight, and with all this hype, fans will be expecting a lot more out of the rookie over the course of the season.
They’ll forget that he’s just 19, still a teenager.
That he’s in a brand-new city trying to find his way, far from home.
That he’s still trying to fully recover from an injury.
That he’s just a rookie, playing against guys 10+ years older.
Such is the trouble with being a top draft pick.
But Williamson appears to be a guy who has his feet on the ground, puts the team first and after Wednesday night’s performance, has a very successful career ahead of him.
Fans can see him in action next when they face off against the Boston Celtics on ESPN on Sunday night.
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