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Zion Williamson blows up social media with scoring spree in debut

Number one NBA draft pick Zion Williamson made his long-awaited debut and sent social media into absolute meltdown.

Andrew McMurtry and James McKern
3 min read
January 23, 2020 - 6:43PM
Zion is here to stay.
Zion is here to stay.

Zion Williamson made his long-awaited NBA debut for the New Orleans Pelicans and he did not disappoint.

After a lacklustre opening half that had fans hoping they’d see some of the madness he produced during his time in college and he delivered in spades.

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Entering the fourth quarter, Williamson had five points to his name but exploded and dragged the Pelicans back into the contest and giving them the lead.

In the span of 264 seconds, the teenage prodigy recorded 17 points, grabbed three rebounds and handed out two assists.

He finished the contest with 22 points, 7 rebounds and three assists to his name in only 18 minutes of playing time.

The roof of the Smoothie King Arena in New Orleans almost blew off as the crowd erupted after every single shot from Williamson.

In his scoring outburst Williamson showed off his range by burying four three-point shots from four attempts. Making him the first player in NBA history to 4-4 (or better) on threes in a debut.

His 22 points eclipse the previous record for the New Orleans Pelicans by a player making their debut.

Social media went just as haywire as Zion began trending across the United States under several different topics. All in all however, everyone was left with the same stunned reaction.

But fans were left furious when Williamson was taken out of the game with a little over five minutes remaining in the game with coach Alvin Gentry stating after the contest it was the medical staff who made the call.

A knee injury ruled the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick Williamson of his debut to start the season, with the league needing to wait three months for his debut.

It’s continued to pile on the pressure for the 19-year-old to make an instant impact with pundits calling his first start the most anticipated debut since LeBron James in 2003.

While it’s perfectly acceptable for Williamson need at least a little time to become a force in the NBA, it took him just three quarters to feel comfortable.

When he was taken off the floor for his first break just under four minutes into the game with one assist, one shot and no points, it looked like he wasn’t going to make much of an impact.

But as the game went on, Williamson seemed to become more comfortable on the floor, started to spread his wings.

Zion Williamson has shocked the world.
Zion Williamson has shocked the world.

The Pelicans eventually fell 121-117 but Williamson has already made a name for himself.

His debut finished with a stat line of 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists from 18 minutes.

But after a slow start to the game, ESPN commentators Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy spoke about how Williamson looked to be carrying some extra weight.

“Watching him on the court, this just in, he’s got to get in better shape,” Jackson said. “He’s got to lose some weight and get better in shape. In all fairness to him, I didn’t expect to see him in his best shape because he’s been off so long but that’s what he needs, especially to get to what people expect him to get to.”

Don’t you underestimate me.
Don’t you underestimate me.

Van Gundy agreed: “You want to play, when you’ve got a history of some injuries, as light as you possible can. It gives you the best chance of staying healthy.”

“We’re talking to the people in New Orleans and they believe he’s big boned and that’s his natural size,” Jackson added. “To me, that’s not the case. The lighter the gets, the more explosive he’s going to be.”

When attention turned to the reports that Williamson lost 3.6kg (8 pounds) in a week, Van Gundy couldn’t believe it.

“Hold on, I do not believe for one second that a guy worked out for one week and put on eight pounds of muscle,” he said. “If that’s possible, then if he’s been working out in the 13 weeks he’s been missing, then by my calculation, that’s over 100 pounds of muscle you asked him to put on.”

Jackson finished: “He will slim down. You can tell why so many people are raving about him, he’s a special talent and a freak athlete but he’s got to get in better shape and that’s going to happen. You don’t expect him to be tip-top shape, this is his first NBA action.”

While some fans felt Williamson looked “husky”, other fans slammed the discussion.

No better way to make someone eat their words than dropping an absolute bomb.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/american-sports/nba/world-reacts-to-nba-freaks-explosion/news-story/05064da443da56ad5f548edfebd0e408