Expert says Zion Williamson ‘doesn’t want to be exposed’

Basketball legend Duke Zion Williamson’s shooting chart is under review.

A myriad of flaws explains why the New Orleans Pelicans – including three basketball greats from Duke to Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and JJ Redick – went off to an increasingly disappointing 4-7 start. Those issues were fully exposed on Friday night as the team relinquished a 15-point lead on their way to a 112-95 road loss to the 11-3 Los Angeles Lakers.

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One of the most notable issues seems to be the insufficient spacing in attack. And that seems to be a symptom of a starting lineup that contains two big men, power forward Zion Williamson and center Steven Adams, each of whom pose no real threat of shooting beyond the arc.

As for Williamson, the 6-foot-6, 284-pound tank has yet to make an attempt beyond 16 feet in its 10 appearances this season. Perhaps to make matters worse, such attempts have been virtually nonexistent.

While averaging 21.8 points and 8.5 rebounds, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft is 0 for 3 from 16 feet and over and just 3 for 3 from 10 to 16 feet. In contrast, Williamson is 67-for-114 around the rim (19-for-21 on dunk attempts) and 17-for-39 from 3-10 feet.

Some argue Williamson doesn’t need to try his ground hand when his soft, emphatic touch ends in low yield with a 54.7 field goal percentage. Still, as that mark is a definite drop from its 58.3% as a rookie and 68.0% as a one-and-done Duke basketball, it could be that the defenses are gradually finding how to keep in check. the MO of the 20-year-old. .

Williamson may soon have no choice but to throw 3-pointers at times, both for his own benefit and to encourage less predictable ball movement in the New Orleans offense. After all, it’s not like his 3-point percentages are abysmal: 33.8% for Duke and 37.5% for Pelicans.

But keep in mind that four of downtown Williamson’s six total marks as a pro made his NBA debut last January.

In-game review of the Duke basketball product

Against the Lakers, Zion Williamson finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four turnovers while shooting 9 for 19 from the field.

Not too bad.

However, despite sometimes raising the ball early in the absence of an injured Lonzo Ball (knee), the former Blue Devil again avoided open glances on the perimeter. Granted, as is usually the case, he’s had his share of defining moments anyway.

His visible apprehension of even pumping fakes out of the post, however, certainly caught the attention of ESPN commentator Mark Jackson in Q2. Here’s a snippet of Williamson’s rather harsh version of the former All-Star, who implored the rising star to focus on developing a formidable pull-up pull-up:

“He is absolutely dominant in painting. The good teams are going to stop this… At some point you have to make them play honestly and at least be willing to take jumps.

Jackson then tried to identify the root of the problem:

“I think he understands that the spotlight is on him every night, and he doesn’t want to be exposed with the lights on. He has to get over that.

Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, who have now fallen five in a row while serving as turnover machines, are set to play their third game of a six-game road trip when they face the 5-8 Sacramento Kings at 9 p.m. EST Sunday.

Stay tuned Durham Ball for more on Zion Williamson as well as other news and views from Duke on basketball.