Despite never shooting outside the paint or bringing adequate defensive awareness every night, Zion still has the ceiling of an MVP candidate. His combination of power, explosiveness, and finesse can?t even be controlled by opponents that know, exactly, what his intentions are every time he touches the ball. But instead of realizing that potential, Zion has played only 59 games since 2021 and is nowhere close to how great he could be. He?s also, somehow, barely registering in the NBA zeitgeist, reduced to a peripheral figure, marginalized by production that doesn?t drop jaws like it once did.
If you?ve ever seen Zion take off from the dotted line, glide through the air, and simultaneously creep between and crash through shot blockers at the rim, you might wonder why that doesn?t happen a dozen times in every game. Maybe more. There?s no stopping Williamson when he?s focused. He stomps and soars and pulverizes in an unprecedented form. Creator of shock waves and sonic booms. He could average an efficient 30 points per game someday. He could finish top 10 in assists, too.
But this year, on an impressive Pelicans team that?s advantageously placed him at the 5 more than ever before, he won?t make the All-Star team. He?s scored 30 or more just three times in 30 games?his 21.8 average ranks below Bam Adebayo, Terry Rozier, and Kyle Kuzma?and he?s yet to tally a double-digit assist game.
Even if Zion is the opponent?s primary concern at any given moment, Brandon Ingram is currently New Orleans?s best player. For the first time in his career, Williamson?s team sports a more efficient offense when he?s on the bench. His usage, PER, and free throw rate have never been lower. When he?s the nominal center, his field goal percentage at the rim is somehow lower than when he?s beside the paint-clogging Jonas Valanciunas.
Zion can still be electric, and there are times when he brings it on defense in ways that make you wonder why he can?t do it all the time (physical condition notwithstanding). But there are too many nights when he doesn?t take over, consistently burst to the rim, or show an ability to use his right hand against defenses that bait him to do so. Total command?posting up, flying off a dribble handoff into the paint, setting a ball screen and then diving to the rim, running his own pick-and-rolls?should be his reality. And it can still happen someday soon. But as great as it is to see him healthy this season, at 23 years old, another jump would have been plenty reasonable.
Zion made a list. Least Improved Player
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Originally Posted by P_B_&_G
