METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Pelicans opened training camp on Tuesday with two practices, a morning session followed by one in the evening.
By design, the morning session was lighter. The evening session had a scrimmage portion that was going to be the first intense 5-on-5 work for Zion Williamson with the team since May 2020.
One would expect someone to have some rust in that situation, but Williamson isn't just any someone. «Z looked amazing,» Pelicans coach Willie Green said on Wednesday afternoon. «His strength, his speed.
He dominated the scrimmage pretty much.» Williamson told reporters on Tuesday that he was excited for the 5-on-5 practice because as much as he could work out during the offseason, it was hard to simulate 5-on-5 work against highly talented players. «What stood out was his force more than anything,» Green said. «He got down the floor quickly.