“I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to be more aggressive finding my shot. I’ve got to do more things to get my team going. I think I was too laid back tonight. I can’t do that.”
That was Zion Williamson after a flat, uninspired performance against the Lakers in the In-Season Tournament semifinals last week, a game that led to a lot of criticism of Zion nationally. Zion bounced back Monday night with an aggressive performance against the best defense in the NBA in the Timberwolves, putting up 36 points on 13-of-17 shooting. He did all his damage in the restricted area.
Zion Williamson TOOK OVER in the Pelicans W over the Twolves!
— NBA (@NBA) December 12, 2023
🔥 36 PTS
🔥 13/17 FGM pic.twitter.com/thL4uLJygU
The Pelicans won 121-107 in a game Anthony Edwards missed because of a right hip pointer.
“That was a bad performance. It doesn’t take rocket science to see that,” Zion said of the game against the Lakers, quote via the Associated Press."We kind of went into the game too lackadaisical.”
That attitude shifted for Monday night’s game.
“I can’t just take a back seat or kind of be too laid back,” Zion said. “So, my thought process was to be aggressive. My teammates trust me.”
Zion was asked about the criticism from Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA about his conditioning, weight and intensity level.
“If it comes from a great place and a place where they just want to see me do better, thank you,” Zion said. “But if it comes from anywhere else, everybody’s entitled to their opinion. You can’t control that....
“It’s been like that since I was 16 years old,” he added later. “If I want to be one of the best players in the league, if we don’t win in a big moment or something bad happens, that’s to be expected. I’m just glad we responded.”
CJ McCollum added 23 and Brandon Ingram 20 for the Pelicans.
