The wait has ended. Number 1 in the last NBA draft, Zion Williamson, was finally able to make his debut in the jersey of the New Orleans Pelicans. For three quarters, facing the San Antonio Spurs, the audience of the Smoothie King Center was hungry. His minimum playing time – 4 minutes in each period – had just allowed Williamson, wearing a right knee bandage, to sign his first points, after a good offensive rebound (14th) and to show his ability to play teammates. The rest of the time, we had to be content to see him pedaling on the “bike” installed behind the Pelicans bench.
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And then … and then it was the explosion. Two assists to start the fourth quarter preceded three minutes of sheer madness. In exactly three minutes and eight seconds, Williamson scored 17 points with an incredible 4 of 4 to three points for the former Duke player. Alone, he put New Orleans back in the lead after his fourth success behind the arc (107-106, 43rd). A few moments later, on the line, he could hear his first “MVP, MVP, MVP” from fans of Louisiana already under the spell.
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“What you saw is a taste of what it can do when it’s installed”
New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry
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Alvin Gentry then had to whistle the end of the party. The New Orleans coach did not want to get caught up in the increasingly crazy atmosphere of the evening. After recalling the substitute ready to substitute Williamson twice, the latter doing everything on the pitch, he took a time out with five minutes to play and left his new star on the bench for the entire end of the game. Williamson therefore finished his first NBA game with an exceptional statistical line: 18 minutes, 22 points (best scorer for the team tied with Brandon Ingram), 7 rebounds, 3 assists with his five lost balls as the only shadow on the board.
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1
Williamson is the first player to score at least four three-point baskets without missing a single in his very first NBA game.
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The New Orleans public asked for more because soon after the release of his favorite, he began to sing: « We want Zion, we want Zion » (We want Zion) out of breath. “No, he could not return to the field”, cut Gentry who apparently had orders from the medical staff and had to watch his team crack in the last moments (121-117). “The important thing is that he was more aggressive at the end of the match, that’s what I wanted, a repris Gentry. What you’ve seen is a taste of what it can do when it’s installed. “ The entire NBA can now consider itself warned.
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