Since Brandon Ingram is still recovering from a knee injury, the New Orleans Pelicans have given the keys to the offense to Zion Williamson, and the Duke product has made the most of his opportunities.
CJ McCollum believes that Zion Williamson should get more calls from the referees and that he doesn’t get enough credit for how he has put the New Orleans Pelicans on his back.
“I’d like to see him shoot 20 FTs the way he attacks the basket. It’d be nice if he got some of those Giannis calls. Maybe as he continues to progress, we’ll get some of those Giannis calls,” McCollum said about Williamson following their game against the Milwaukee Bucks via the Pelicans Film Room on X (formerly known as Twitter).
To McCollum’s point, Williamson has been particularly more aggressive on the offensive end for the New Orleans Pelicans lately. Because of his unique physical attributes, Williamson is virtually unstoppable when he continuously drives hard at the rim, which may lead to more free throw attempts.
Zion Williamson carrying the New Orleans Pelicans
Zion Williamson led the way in the New Orleans Pelicans’ 107-100 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, going toe-to-toe with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The 23-year-old forward dropped 28 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one block while shooting 9-of-15 from the field. Williamson also went 10-of-16 from the charity stripe, including five of six in the final three minutes of the game.
Since his measly four-point output in their 23-point rout of the Miami Heat, Zion Williamson has averaged 31.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists while shooting 69.6 percent from the field in his last three outings. He has also connected on nine or more free throws in the said period.
“Night in and night out, he is putting the team on his shoulders, and he’s carrying us,” said New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green. “The guys are rallying around him.”
Zion Williamson’s uptick in usage and production has resulted in three wins in the last four games for the New Orleans Pelicans, which helps as they fight for playoff position in the tight Western Conference.