Pelicans' Zion Williamson Says He Was 'Too Laid Back' in Loss to LeBron James, Lakers
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson lamented his lack of aggressiveness during Thursday's 133-89 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals of the NBA in-season tournament.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Williamson gave an honest assessment of his play, saying: "I got to be better. I got to be more aggressive, finding my shot. I got to do more things to get my team going. I think I was too laid-back tonight, and I just can't do that. And defensively I got to be better."
Essentially every Pelicans player performed below expectations Thursday, as only three players scored in double figures and none scored more than 14 points. Williamson finished with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with three assists and two rebounds.
Although Williamson was efficient when he did shoot Thursday night, he didn't put up nearly enough shots, and he explained what went wrong, saying:
"I have a problem where I literally just try to hunt the best shot possible every time, but my teammates, they expect more from me. I expect more from myself. I got to just trust my game. I just got to be more aggressive. I think if I'm more aggressive that energy will definitely carry over."
In addition to Williamson being too passive, the Pelicans simply didn't get enough from their other stars to be competitive against a deep and talented Lakers squad.
Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and Jonas Valančiūnas scored nine points apiece and combined to go 11-for-36 from the floor.
New Orleans shot a mere 35.8 percent as a team and 22.6 percent from beyond the arc, which is rarely a winning combination.
Of the Pelicans players who attempted more than two shots, Williamson is the only one who made at least half of his attempts.
By comparison, the Lakers shot a scorching 54.7 percent from the field and 48.6 percent from long range, led by ageless superstar LeBron James, who led all scorers with 30 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-4 from downtown.
Five other Lakers players scored in double figures as well, including Austin Reaves, who contributed 17 points in just 23 minutes off the bench.
The Pelicans are just 12-11 on the season, but they got hot during the tournament and went on a deep run before coming up against a buzzsaw in the Lakers.
Compared to previous years, Williamson has mostly stayed healthy this season, playing in 19 games. He is also second on the team in scoring with 22.2 points per game and is averaging 5.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals as well.
While the 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick is a two-time All-Star, he missed the entire 2021-22 season and all but 29 games last season due to injury, so durability has been a major concern.
Now that Zion is figuring out how to navigate the rigors of the NBA season, the next step for him is to impose his will and establish himself as a legitimate superstar.
