Zion Williamson more than just 'decent' in Pelicans return

NEW YORK — Despite praise from his teammates and coach, Zion Williamson called his regular-season return to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night just a «decent starter performance.»

«It's a lot of room for improvement,» he said. «I'm still learning my teammates. Now we get real in-game reps. I'm just excited to grow.»

The numbers suggested far more than just decent. He collected 25 points, nine rebounds and four steals in the 130-108 wire-to-wire Pelicans win over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.

It was an effort hailed by his own team — and even the opposition.

Pelicans coach Willie Green said it was like Williamson «didn't miss a beat.» Brandon Ingram said he simply «picked up where he left off.»

And Nets forward Kevin Durant was among those not surprised.

«He looked healthy to me, he looked good,» Durant said. «Got up 22 shots, nine rebounds, 25 points. At this point it's just typical for him.»

Williamson said it was a «breath of fresh air» to get back on the floor after missing the 2021-22 regular season because of a broken foot. He said that during warmups he could tell he missed the allure of being in an away arena and noted that when the starting lineups were announced it was another moment when he finally felt like things were returning to normal.

Williamson was 11-of-22 from the field, with all 11 of his baskets coming from inside the paint. In 86 career games, Williamson has had at least 20 points in the paint in 45 of those appearances, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Despite the time missed, the only player with more games with 20 or more points in the paint since the beginning of the 2019-20 season is Giannis Antetokounmpo (74).

It was the first time Williamson played with many of