Zion Williamson Called 'Rusty' By NBA Fans as Pelicans Lose to Trae Young, Hawks
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson was still ramping up his play ahead of the regular season during the team's narrow 110-105 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
He finished with a respectable 16 points and 5 assists on 5-11 shooting, hitting 75 percent of his free throws. However, he appeared sluggish on the defensive end while only grabbing two rebounds in 25 minutes.
This included zero offensive boards, an area of Williamson's game that he typically excels in. He also finished the afternoon with a single-game plus-minus of -14, the worst mark of any Pelicans starter.
Fans were concerned with Williamson's lack of energy on the floor.
While a less-than-stellar preseason performance isn't the end of the world, it would still be beneficial for Williamson to find some consistency heading into New Orleans' season-opener against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 25.
It's worth noting that the rest of the Pelicans' starters struggled as well. All-star forward Brandon Ingram scored just 6 points in 25 minutes, while former Most Improved Player award-winner C.J. McCollum chipped in 7 points on 2-9 shooting.
The Pelicans will have one more exhibition game before their matchup with the Grizzlies, heading to Orlando to battle with the Magic on Oct. 17.
