In the past, before entering the league, Zion Williams was hailed as the "next James", which shows that his talent is highly expected by scouts and the media. In his scouting report, it was described as follows: "Athleticism is outstanding, super strength and speed can make him unstoppable; there are broad shoulders to crash into the defender so that he can end the attack in confrontation, even if there is no fast attack, he is still difficult to stop." 」 "So, after he entered the league, was he as invincible as expected?
Later facts showed that he was not a player of James's type, but rather a bit like "Flying Pig" Bagley. He made four three-pointers in his debut game, and although long-range shots were not his main offensive means, they showed that he had a lot of potential in three-point shooting. Later, his attack in the low post showed great destructive and explosive power, one-on-one was almost unstoppable, as strong as Gobert was also going to crash to the bottom of the basket. He set a new career high against the Nuggets, scoring 39 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, no loss to Jokic.
But after averaging 27 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in the 20-21 season of the second year, Zion slowly faded out of the league's field of vision and disappeared without a trace. The 21-22 season should have been a good time for him to cash in on his talent, after all, the same year's Morant led the team to play the second place in the West, and he also played an MVP-level offensive performance, but after Zion attended the media day before the opening, he was revealed to be unable to return to the field due to leg injuries and heavy weight. For a time, it caused fans to question whether this would be the second Auden?
After the Pelicans got McCollum as a guard, coupled with Ingram's good competitive form, the Pelicans played a record of 27 wins and 38 losses to the tenth place in the West, and had a good chance of reaching the playoffs. However, the last pelican lost to the Grizzlies, Ingram was truncated due to injury, and after an MRI examination, his injury was diagnosed with a slight strain of the hamstring. Ingram was reportedly out of injury for 7-10 days and missed at least four games. Ingram has played in 50 regular-season games for the Pelicans, averaging 22.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 34.2 minutes per game, shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from three-point range.
This is still the starting small forward data, Ingram's presence is very important for the Pelicans offense and defense, it can be said that it is difficult to find a suitable candidate for his position in the team. The Pelicans managed to hit the playoffs, and it was a shame to give up, so we're expecting this team to improve. Still, the Pelicans had good news: Ingram is expected to return against the Spurs on March 19; Zion has returned to New Orleans, and Pelicans coach Willie Green said Zion will return tomorrow.
In addition to this, Zion is said to have lost 11 kilograms of weight, which means a lot to him. In addition to being able to make his attack full of mobility and vitality, it can also reduce the probability of injury; even if he did not make his debut this season, his return is still a very happy thing for the team, as long as he stands in the box is a big threat. After all, he has returned to the city, which also means that he is not far from his comeback debut, which can make up for the lack of attack in Ingram's absence.
Once Zion returns, coupled with Ingram's continued consistent offensive performance, as well as McCollum's organization and scoring, the Pelicans' Big Three are poised to fit in. The current Lakers record is ninth in the West, and this ranking means that there will be a playoff game with the Pelicans, and there will be too much luck in a single game, which is not good news for the Lakers who lack Davis. And Zion's ability to destroy in the penalty area is bound to cause the Lakers a headache; but with the presence of James, the Lakers' winning side is still very large.