MY ACCOUNT
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson was giddy at his postgame press conference after securing a dominant 130-108 road win against the Brooklyn Nets in his first competitive outing since May 2021.
Williamson missed all of this past season with recurring foot injuries, but used the offseason to get into the best shape of his professional career, and he picked up right where he left off.
Before his injury, Williamson averaged 27 points per game at 61 per cent shooting in his second season after being drafted first overall back in 2019, and he showed no signs of rust, dropping 25 points on 11-of-22 shooting with nine rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Speaking to the media immediately after the win, Williamson could not keep the smile off his face when talking about how excited he is to be back on the court with this Pelicans group.
“The Nets are a great team, a great organisation, but today we just wanted to show how special this group is,” he said during his on-court interview.
“We got the win, most importantly that’s what we want to do, but if you see the bonds we have on the court, and on the bench, we really have a special group and I’m excited to show the world what we can do.”
Later in his sit-down press conference, he reflected on his feelings about returning after such a long layoff, and what it is like to play with this group, since he has not played since the Pelicans’ acquisition of C.J. McCollum.
“Simply playing the game I love, which I didn’t get to play for a long time, was a breath of fresh air,” he said.
“There were times where there was a loose ball, and it ended up in C.J. or [Brandon Ingram’s] hands, and I didn’t even crash [for rebounds], I’m like ‘oh that’s good’. Man, it’s special. If you know basketball, to get a chance to play with two players like that, it’s special.
“All three of us are unselfish, we all have the same goal, and that’s to win. When you want to win, you put aside the personal goals and everything else. Whatever I’ve got to do, whatever they’ve got to do to win, that’s what we’re all going to do.
“It’s one thing when you’re excited for yourself, but when you see people you work hard with, and go to battle with, and they’re genuinely excited for you and wishing you the best – you can’t ask for much more than that.”
Despite top-scoring in the game with 28 points (10-of-17 shooting), Ingram made it clear who sits atop the Pelicans’ pecking order, calling Williamson “one of the best players in the league”.
Pelicans head coach Willie Green also enjoyed the show, saying: “It’s like he didn’t miss a beat – you just throw the ball to him and watch what he does. He’s fun to watch.”
