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Zion Williamson’s knee is now sound but Duke fans will tell you he’s not in total game shape yet. How can we tell? Well he’s not flying over people and we haven’t seen a steal.
At Duke we saw him just soar over people constantly and dunk hard. He’s finishing shots and scoring at his usual high percentage but without his normal high level flare.
And last year we watched many times as guys turned their backs on him, certain that he was too far away to matter, only to see him strip them clean from behind and dash downcourt for a huge dunk.
We also haven’t seen very many blocks.
Don’t get us wrong he’s doing very well. So far, not counting Friday’s game against Memphis, he’s averaging 18 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.5 apg. He’s also shooting 64 percent.
Here are his highlights from the Memphis game. He and Lonzo Ball are developing a superb chemistry. In particular look for the pass that goes slightly behind the backboard which he catches - well just watch. It’s pretty amazing.
And consider this: the last game before his return, the Pelicans lost to Memphis by 10. The Pels lost the next two games with Williamson, falling to San Antonio by four and Denver by seven.
Since then they’ve won three straight and by an average of 19 points and have a decent chance at the final playoff spot in the West.