Before joining The Athletic, he was a writer at The Times-Picayune/NOLA Media Group, and he's been on the Pelicans beat since 2016. It wasnt just from the play-in.. NEW YORK (AP) Jimmy Butler looked his coach in the eye and said he was staying in the game, no matter how much his ankle might have hurt. For example, look at where two-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobertis before he leaves his feet to challengeWilliamson's shot on this possession: It looks like Gobert believes Williamson should've been whistled for an offensive foul he doesappear to extend his arm ever-so-slightly but Williamson almost knocking Gobertoff of his feet goes to show how powerful he is when he gains any sort of momentum. When he was actually healthy this season, he This season, that number has plummeted to 59.8percent. With Williamson rarely looking to score outside of the paint he's taken a grand total of eight shots from midrange and 24 shots from 3-point range this season All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. The Hornets actually lost a clutch game on Sunday, falling in overtime to Phoenix. Listed at 284 pounds, there are only three players Tacko Fall, Boban Marjanovic and Jusuf Nurkicwho currently weigh more than Williamson. It doesn't help that Williamson is lightning quick. The saddest part for the Pels is McCollum has been deadly in the role the team intended for him next to Williamson and Ingram. Breaking down the Golden State-Los Angeles matchup with 3 things to watch, 1 X-factor and a series prediction. Looney had 21 rebounds total, while Sabonis had no rebounds in the third quarter when the Warriors started to pull away. They averaged 124 points in that series behind Butlers 37.6 per game, but they pulled this one out with old-fashioned defense and rebounding that has always worked so well before for them at this time of year. But since Jan. 1, Ingram is averaging 3.6 turnovers per game, a significant jump from the 2.7 he averaged last season. The Warriors move on to face the Lakers and the best Kings season in 16 years ends. If nothing else this postseason, the Kings went from the team everyone thought they wanted to face to the team everyone is glad they didnt have to face. While the Lakers game was an obvious example, weve seen the Pels react similarly in other games during this stretch. For the second straight season, the Hornets have been the leagues best 3-point shooting team in the clutch, 32-for-66 (48%) on clutch 3-pointers entering their game in Brooklyn on Thursday. But all of his minutes at the five on Wednesday were played alongside four guards. And they dont just run off live rebounds and turnovers. The Miami Heat needed all season to turn into the team they expected, so no way Butler wants to miss a minute of it now. With every team having played at least 10 games since the All-Star break, here are the five teams that have seen the biggest jump in points scored per 100 possessions from before the break to after it: Biggest post-break jump, points scored per 100 possessions. In total, the Pelicans outscored the Spurs, 29-21 in 8:28 with Williamson at the five. Jakob Poeltl picked up Ball and DeRozan was forced to match up with Williamson trailing the play. If anything, the offense has been even yuckier whenever Valaninas is on the court. A couple of reasons. Williamson's body control is incredible. He went through a workout before the game, but the Knicks ruled him out about 45 minutes before the start. Dyson is really good with the ball in his hands making decisions. 1 option when available. The bigger issue is Pelicans dont take threes third-fewest a game in the league and dont make them 32.7% shooting as a team. He shoots the mid-range jumper with a beautiful touch, even if he only attempted 16 of them all season long. But watching Valaninas this year underscores how he hasnt been same force he was during his first season with the Pelicans. Williamsons 18.9 ppg in the restricted area are the most in the last 25 years, but his 67.4% shooting in the restricted area ranks just 17th among 47 players with at least 200 restricted-area attempts. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. Valaninas had some of the best numbers in his career last season, carrying a larger-than-expected load with Williamson sidelined all season. Though hes made just eight 3-pointers, Williamson has the highest true shooting percentage (66.2%) among the 47 players with a usage rate of 25% or higher. All of this is to say:Williamson a walking mismatch. The New Orleans Pelicans have surrounded Zion Williamson with the pieces that should help him flourish in Year 1. Four of those 19 came in his rookie debut. You expect it to be tough, coach Erik Spoelstra said. December feels like a lifetime ago for the New Orleans Pelicans. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting. NBA players and a few celebrities were blown away and went to Twitter to react. Our aim? Back-to-back bad closeouts from Zion leads to five quick points for Utah. Will the East finally overtake the West in the 2021-22 NBA season? Perhaps the wear and tear from everything Valaninas did last year and the first half of this season is catching up with him. Recently, Giannis Antetokounmpos Finals MVP has done great work for the Anti-Bag Twitter campaign. If defenses ever challenge him, we will see all Zion has to offer. Smart stuff.). While Myles Turner is turning heads down low, T.J. McConnell is leading with effort in the backcourt. Here are some things of note as we head into the Week 14 weekend. * The 54% is if you call the 6-8 Julius Randle the center in last seasons Davis-Randle frontline. More capable teams from the perimeter have run the Pelicans out of the gym on multiple occasions. Zion Williamson played his first regular season debut on Thursday, registering 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five turnovers in a little over 18 minutes in the Pelicans 121-117 loss to the Spurs. On the other end of the floor, Butler is great at avoiding the whistle. Still, 67.4% (1.35 points per attempt) is a great rate of return. WebFind detailed Zion Williamson Advanced Stats on FOXSports.com. Theres no question the front office will be proactive in finding a solution in the offseason. The biggest number is the one turnover. Weve been rewarded for our patience with the debut of the No. Fox is a clutch player, but he wasnt on this day, he had his worst game of the series. WebFind detailed Zion Williamson Shooting Stats on FOXSports.com. To tie a bow on it, Williamson is a good passer. I also think his approach to these games is hes gonna go down swinging. In his first 17 games this season, Williamson was making 66.7 percent of his shots from the foul line. Hes also shooting 43 percent on midrange jumpers, which would be the lowest number of his career. Even if his game is simple strength, power, quickness it works to a historic degree. I stood over that shot [and thought], I dont know where this ball is going to go. Will Guillory is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the New Orleans Pelicans. "Stat Just Happened" is our new series where we'll pair an important stat with how it actually unfolded on the floor. With better luck in close games, the Mavs might be in second place in the West instead of sixth. Kyle Lowry scored 18 points. The Heat fell behind by 12 points in the second quarter, but that wasnt going to faze a team that eliminated deficits of 15 and then 16 points in the last two games against Milwaukee. (No other player has more than four attempts without a make in those situations.). Since Jan. 1, New Orleans is 28th in the league in both 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. And this is set to be the seventh time in his career that Butler has had more steals (63) than personal fouls (47). In a season full of comically awful numbers, this one has jumped out the most: The Pelicans normal starting lineup without Zion (McCollum, Jones, Ingram, Murphy and Valaninas) is getting outscored by a whopping 26.3 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. Very uncharacteristic by me and this ones on me. Zion Williamson scored 30 points on 9-of-13 shooting in New Orleans' 113-109 win over Denver on Sunday, marking the 20th straight game in which Williamson And over the last 23 games, its over 11% (and almost even with that of Brandon Ingram). In time, well certainly see some minutes with Williamson at the five and Ingram at the four, what may be the Pelicans most potent configuration. They leverage their superior advantage in height with strength and vertical leaping ability, enabling them to protect the paint. In this clip, you can see Williamson beat his primary defender off the dribble and Joel Embiid rotate over to block his layup attempt. Each week during the season, NBA.com writer John Schuhmann surveys the league to compile stats and notes for his in-depth Power Rankings. Utah has won six straight, is healthy, and playing well right now. He rather not settle for a low percentage outside shot when hes getting to the basket at will. What makes Williamson unique in those situations is well, a number of things. The Charlotte Hornets (12-13) and Cleveland Cavaliers (9-10) have been better than that in clutch games. New Orleans, by contrast, has reached 15 3-pointers in a game only once since the start of the new year. According to Second Spectrum tracking, he ranks sixth in the league with 2.2 pass-ahead passes per game. Here are the 3-point numbers for everyone not named McCollum or Murphy since Jan. 1: Lately, its been tough to believe anyone on this list will knock down a spot-up shot when the ball finds them on the perimeter. And he once again lived up to the billing. While ONeals game was mostly back to basket and waiting for others to set him up, Williamson is able to carve his own way into the lane. The reports of the death of the Warriors era have been greatly exaggerated. Ja Morant is probably going to be a top-three pick in the 2019 NBA Draft because of his star potential. According to NBA.com , that's how many points per game Zion Williamson is averaging in the paint this season. That was in a win against a very good Philadelphia 76ers team. Of the 668 games the league has played through Thursday, 344 (51%) have been within five points in the last five minutes. Hall of Famer Ray Allen is as detail-oriented, and as process-driven a shooter as the league has ever seen. With their loss to the Clippers on Tuesday (in which they led by one with less than three minutes to go), the Mavs are 10-13 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes. Follow William on Twitter @WillGuillory. A couple of reasons. 1 defense since the All-Star break, the most defensive boards since the break, the leagues best 3-point shooting team in the clutch. The 10-year veteran is shooting 43.4 percent from the field, his lowest figure since his second season in the league. Playing with a poorly built roster, under his second coach (who has since been fired), at just 20 years old, Williamson put up historic numbers averaging 27.0 first episode of NBCs new Beyond the Fairway podcast. Davis has an effective field goal percentage of 39.4% on shots from outside the paint, a mark that ranks 117th among 122 players who have taken at least 200 shots But sometimes he tries to force the issue, throwing the entire offense out of whack. Golden State's star sharpshooter enjoys another historic moment, which also set his playoff career high. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. New York led 61-53 early in the third before Kevin Love converted a three-point play to trigger a 21-5 spurt by Miami. The Lakers win in Brooklyn on Thursday was the first game that either JaVale McGee (who was out with an illness) or Dwight Howard has missed this season, and the two centers have combined to average a little more than 37 minutes per game. Outside of his sometimes inconsistent outside shot, Luka's offensive game is near-perfect. For one, he's built like a tank. According to NBA.com , the New Orleans Pelicans star averaged 20.3 points per game in the paint. (By the way, notice how low Steven Adams set the screen for Williamson? He's too big and strong for most guards and too quick and athletic for mostbigs. Hard not to be skeptical of the 3-point shooting (though it's great that he shot without hesitation), but what got an audible "Wow!" The Thunders fortunes in close games has them in seventh place in the West. Back then, they had one of the best records in the Western Conference, with Zion Williamson playing at an All-NBA level. For one, he's built like a tank. No wonder everything on offense looks difficult for them. He is a New Orleans native. Dropping a 7-foot-4 centre with a 7-foot-10 wingspan to the paint should work but Marjanovic probably wasn't expecting Williamson to take off around the dotted line and jump so high that he could softly lay the ball in. See where all 30 teams rank after a busy week of player movement across the league. Regardless, the Pelicans need to find some answers to fix their lagging offense, and theyre running out of places to look. With the increase in minutes at the four, Davis has seen an increase in the percentage of his shots that have come from outside the paint. He has a good enough handle to blow by defenders who press up on him. It seems that Larry Nance Jr. or Jaxson Hayes, while less talented, do a better job of giving this seasons team what it needs on both ends. Their average margin of defeat in their 16 losses is 6.3. We think of Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Ben Simmons as the trio of stars against whom you have to wall up, forcing them to beat you over the top. When Alvarado and McCollum play together, the Pelicans outscore opponents by 3.8 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. Lets break down a few of the problems: The most important skill in the modern NBA is the one the Pelicans lack the most. Sabonis will be an All-NBA center this season, but at the very least the Kings need the right front-line players next to him to play off his strengths to take the next step. Williamson started alongside Derrick Favors and, through the first three quarters, he had played 9:50 at power forward and just 1:51 at center. His 75.1% shooting in the restricted area is the best mark among 36 players with at least 200 restricted-area attempts. Smart stuff.). He still has a lot of developingto do imagine him with even a semi-reliable jump shot and yethe's already one of the league's most dominant scorers, a 20-year-old who is doing things we haven't seen since Shaquille O'Neal. Its his field goal percentage. WebZion Williamson is an obvious choice here after playing in only 29 games. An unheated garage, a cool basement or any other well-insulated cool building or shed will work. Execution on high-leverage possession matters. 71.4: This is Williamsons shooting percentage this preseason.No, not his free throw percentage. This isnt a huge surprise after Thibodeau said on Saturday that Randle had not gone through a full practice and had done some shooting, lifting, and pool cardio. Explore all New Orleans Pelicans NBA player stats - including scoring, rebounding, shooting, assists & more! The Warriors now move on to a TNT/Disney television executives dream Curry vs. LeBron James. One reason is their performance in close games. If you were amazed by Curry's record-setting performance on Sunday, let's just say you weren't the only one. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs. Zion is efficient at his shots, going 14-of-19 against Utah. Zion Lateef Williamson, a kid from South Carolina. Dunking on kids half his size in High School. All nine of their clutch shots were 3-point attempts and they made just two of the nine. Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 30, 2023. Davis still ranks fifth in the league with 13.2 points in the paint per game. (To boot, many of his "unassisted baskets" were putbacks). Freq = Percentage of his total possessions The downside to dealing for Favors is he isn't quite as stretchy a big man as would be ideal next to No. He put those guys on his back and said, Im going to make sure were not losing tonight. percentage and second in true shooting percentage, a barren wasteland between the paint and 3-point line. WebZion Williamson is an obvious choice here after playing in only 29 games. from me when watching was the quickness to recover this blocked shot. Karl-Anthony Towns (left) and Anthony Edwards have sparked Minnesotas offensive improvement since the break. PPP = Points per possession. But his work in the paint, along with the seventh highest free throw rate (52 attempts per 100 shots from the field) among those 251 players, has Williamson ranking eighth in scoring at 26.4 points per game. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. When the Pelicans play their five best players outside of Williamson this season, they arent just getting beat. STEPH IS IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN pic.twitter.com/xUR53sB6yy, Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 30, 2023, Steph was elite, Kings coach Mike Brown said. Rozier gave the ball to Gordon Hayward and faked like he was going to set a pin-down screen for P.J. More space means more opportunity for him to gain steam. Poor Derrick Favors didnt stand a chance. That starts with shooting Zion made a jump hook in the third quarter of this game that was his first made basket outside the paint this season, reports Andrew The Hornets are 16-6 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes and 8-16 otherwise. The Knicks won the last three of those but have work to do if theyre going to take this one. Williamson's body control is incredible. Prune back the tops of the geraniums, leaving about 8 inches Gotta see more effort and discipline from him as he recovers. Shooting just 41.9 percent from the field entering the game against New Orleans, Mitchell has began to turn the corner when it comes to his scoring efficiency early in the 2021 season. The Pelicans complete a three-game homestand with a couple of tough opponents this weekend. I know hes going to see me and try to find me I think it definitely opens up the game for me a lot with a player like him.. Transition and cut (non-roll-man catches in the paint, for the most part) play-types are still where Williamson is doing the highest volume of work. ', Its just Steph Curry. To get past the Heat, the Knicks will need something closer to All-Star Randle. What makes Williamson unique in those situations is well, a number of things. If his three-point shooting (30.4 percent for Boulogne-Levallois in France's Pro A league) continues to lag, the Pistons may not get the extra breathing room they want for their offense. Second, it's the most paint pointsanyone has averaged in a single season in almost two decades. With a full season officially under New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamsons belt, we got to see the dominance that made him a viral sensation in high school, executed at the NBA level. The most significant change for New Orleans at the start of the year was obvious: the Pelicans lost Williamson to a right hamstring strain in a Jan. 2 loss to Philadelphia. The man is putting up historic stats. By the way, there was a Bol Bol sighting in this game, with him going coast-to-coast for the slam. Randle struggled in the first round against the Cavaliers, averaging 14.4 points a game on 33.8% shooting (and a dreadful 45.9 true shooting percentage). Which is pretty insane when you think about all the other times he has left our jaws on the floor. I was in Mexico, I was standing over I dont remember what course I was playing but I was standing over, I was about 100 yards in, and there was nothing. In San Antonio last week, the Hornets drew up a play to get Rozier one of his clutch 3s. WebFour arrested in Mason County after man found shot dead near Tahuya Many of his per-minute statistics look the same as last season. He is in the MVP conversation early this season (although his defense could hold him back in that race). Players his size shouldn't be able to move and change directions as quickly as he does. After sweeping their New York back-to-back, the Lakers complete their five-game trip in Philadelphia on Saturday (8:30 ET, ABC). While Ingrams two-month absence due to a toe injury has been the main cause of his rocky season, there have been some issues even when he does take the court. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Shooting just 41.9 percent from the field entering the game against New Orleans, Mitchell has began to turn the corner when it comes to his scoring efficiency early in the 2021 season. WebRotowire Apr 14, 2023. He hasnt been a very effective jump-shooter, though. Williamson plays with so much force and controls it so well that it makes backing off of him tricky. Jokic is averaging a triple-double this season: 25.1 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 10 assists a game, with a ridiculously efficient 65.8 true shooting percentage.
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