Zion Williamson makes the 'pelicans' fly

Zion Williamson has rediscovered himself.

Last week he closed out the overtime game against the Phoenix Suns with a play he already made in high school.

He was 16 years old when a video of him went viral: Zion culminating a counterattack with a dunk after a 360-degree spin in the air.

“I have to see the birth certificate.

It's not possible!" commented a comedian.

Yes it was.

High school's dominant Zion Williamson, unstoppable one-on-one, a physical powerhouse with incredible jumping power, is now playing in the NBA.

Hand in hand with him, the New Orleans Pelicans have flown to the top of the Western Conference of the American professional basketball league, although this week they lost the lead to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Zion is on another level right now 🔥

35 points (13-17 FG)

7 rebounds

4 assists

1 steal

+30 pic.twitter.com/BDXLvVTnfv

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 10, 2022

Few players have attracted as much attention from such a young age as the power forward born on July 6, 2000 in Salisbury, North Carolina.

That a high school kid was able to make 10 dunks and score 50 points in a single game put all the spotlights on him.

Universities raffled it off and he ended up receiving a scholarship at Duke, a history of college basketball, under the command of Mike Krzyzewski.

He chose the number 1 shirt, which he keeps, and became the star of the team.

Then-President of the United States Barack Obama was in the front row at Duke's arena on February 20, 2019 to enjoy the spectacle of the Duke-North Carolina derby when, 36 seconds after the ball was tossed into the air, Zion's shoe blew out, and he slipped and sprained his knee.

Nike, the manufacturer, lost more than 1 billion in value on the stock market the next day.

The player, 1.98 meters and 129 kilos, recovered from the injury in time to fulfill all the predictions that placed him as the number 1 draft player in 2019. The Pelicans won the lottery —literally— and their new player He began to dazzle in the preseason.

He signed multi-million dollar contracts.

He was compared to Charles Barkley, Larry Johnson and LeBron James and it was pointed out that he would mark an era.

However, in one of the preparatory games he suffered a meniscus tear and underwent surgery the eve of what should have been his official NBA debut.

He missed the first 44 games.

He had to wait until January 22, but he entered the professional league through the big door, with a recital of 22 points in 18 minutes (17 in the last quarter), including four triples from four attempts.

Again the beginning of an era was proclaimed.

He began to compare him to Michael Jordan.

If anything, Zion was too late to get the team into the playoffs.

In his second season he continued to break some personal records, averaging 27 points per game and was selected for the All-Star Game, but (missing again in 11 games) he was unable to lead the Pelicans to the playoffs.

However, the worst for Zion was yet to come.

Before summer league, he had to undergo surgery for a broken foot and ended up spending the season blank.

a brilliant streak

It was a new disappointment for the fans of the Pelicans.

When they already lost faith, the star of the New Orleans seems willing to take revenge.

His best streak has come in the middle of an injury to Brandon Ingram, another

and second highest scorer on the team.

Zion put the team on his back like in high school and went on a streak of seven consecutive victories, until this week the Utah Jazz crossed his path and defeated them twice, first on Tuesday and then this Thursday, in extra time, after an exhibition by his point guard, Jordan Clarkson.

The defeat of the Pelicans leaves their balance at 18 wins and 10 losses and has allowed the Memphis Grizzlies (18-10), who beat the Milwaukee Bucks this Thursday, to be first in the West.

Zion is in shape, despite the fact that the ghost of injuries hovers over him.

He is unstoppable one on one through sheer power.

His effectiveness before the basket is one of the highest in the league.

He puts on a show with his dunks and

He rebounds and blocks like few others thanks to his jump.

He has also learned to assist teammates when defenses close.

To be a more complete player, he needs to improve his outside shot (he hardly shoots from three) and apply something more in defense.

The Pelicans have evolved their game somewhat so that it passes through Zion's hands a little less, but does so at more decisive moments.

In many minutes, when Jonas Valanciunas, the team's starting center, sits down, Zion has played as the only inside man, despite not reaching two meters in height, something that he compensates with his jump.

This has been to the detriment of Willy Hernangómez, who is hardly having opportunities despite his good form and showing in the minutes that he plays that he deserves more time on the pitch.

Along with Zion, Ingran and Valanciunas, the starting five is completed by point guard CJ McCollum, more inspired this year, and forward Herbert Jones, who has also been injured several games.

Trey Murphy III, Jose Alvarado and Naji Marshall have also entered the rotation a lot.

The team, however, still lacks a boil and will need Zion to mix well with Ingram to face the best and clinch the playoffs.

As the halfway point of the regular season approaches, the Western Conference is in a bit of a revolution not only because of the good performance of the Pelicans but also because of the problems of the current champions, the Golden State Warriors.

They are the tenth of the 15 teams in the West (with 14 wins and 15 losses) and have just lost a few weeks due to injury to their great star, Stephen Curry, who retired with a dislocated left shoulder in Wednesday's loss against the Indiana Pacers.

The alarms have begun to sound in San Francisco.

Without Curry, the Warriors lose their game manager and their deadliest weapon.

In their last game against the

with Curry absent, they lost by 45 points.

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