Big shift last night to more of a point forward role for Zion, 2 man game with JJ

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This is what will bring Zion to the next level. If he is to be considered an MVP type player and this team a contender, this part of his game has to continue and continue to grow. It was refreshing to see. Also, it almost seemed like it simplified things a little. Spread the floor, drive, then finish or kick it out. Simple basketball

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A svelte 270ish explosive Zion at the Point could start dominating even more than he does now

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Thinking super duper long term, this would be helpful too.

Obviously who knows where Zion will be when he's 30 and whether he'll still be here, but that weight flying that high on them knees. He's already super human so ya never know, but it seems like knee problems wayyyyy down the road are almost a given at this point.

Could be a bad assumption on my part, we've never seen a dude built like this that is athletic like this, so I guess who knows really what it all means.

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Zion and BI both slowly developing into point forwards is just another reason why I think someone like Ball just doesn’t work here.

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Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy has changed how he’s utilizing Zion. He’s now having him bring the ball up the court and run pick-and-rolls as a ball handler more than before. In the past six games, Williamson has been the pick-and-roll ball handler 4.5 times per game, more than double the 1.8 pick-and-rolls he averaged through the first 15 games, per Synergy Sports.

The Pelicans often have a smaller guy screen for him, and then that player pops for a 3-pointer. Williamson has a good feel for whether to deliver them the pass or attack the defense and force help toward the paint, which creates space for spot-up shooters. Zion’s playmaking numbers have risen accordingly; he averaged 1.9 assists and 2.5 turnovers through his first 15 games this season, but in the past six contests he’s averaging 4.8 assists and 2.6 turnovers.

“Zion is so physically overwhelming in the paint that people just think he’s a freak-of-nature power forward, and that’s all he is,” Pelicans front office boss David Griffin told me for a story on the Pelicans late last month. “But he played point guard basically his entire life before he got to Duke. His stepfather raised him with the ball in his hand to make decisions like a point guard. He measures himself by his ability to make people better. This isn’t a kid who grew up putting himself on the post, trying to learn the Dream Shake. This was the guy who wanted to be a facilitating playmaker with the ball in his hands facing the basket.”

Williamson is tapping in to the next level of his offensive potential, and he’s playing with better defensive effort than before. Van Gundy can be a difficult coach to play for, but so far Williamson is responding to what’s being asked of him. Don’t let the fact the Pelicans are only 10-12 fool you into thinking Williamson isn’t one of the game’s most special players.

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