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Anndra LopezESPN
The same standing between Zion Williamson and the edge was Steven Adams.
This was the fourth quarter of Williamson’s Williamson career NBA game, and the No. 1 overall pick had just caught the ball at the elbow. Adams remained just above the confined circle, ready for communication. Someone was going to miss this overweight matchup.
Williamson gave one dribble, met Adams in the middle of the row and then buried his left shoulder into the center’s chest before stopping to pivot. The Adams force moved back 8 feet to the baseline, clearing Williamson’s path to turn around and scour in an undercurrent position.
“That’s just strong!” exclaimed New Orleans Pelicans color analyst Antonio Daniels.
Few players can use a brute force to make their way with Adams, who was voted the strongest player in the league by general managers in each of the last four seasons. But Williamson entered the NBA as one of the most hyped prospects ever by bringing explosive playmaking to levels never seen before during his own college season.
“The dude exploded like hell,” Adams told ESPN. “It’s like 300 pounds or something, too. But it’s moving so fast.”
Nine months after their first crash, Adams and Williamson officially reunited. A four-team trade that sent out Jrue Holiday star guard also brought the New Zealand giant to New Orleans via the Oklahoma City Thunder. Taken together, the 6-foot-11, 265-pound Adams and 6-foot-6, 284-pound Williamson form is perhaps the strongest duo in the entire NBA – one that consistently relieves pain on trackers. challenges and teammates, but one that still finds a place in the modern game.
THE POWER OF BEHIND the 549-pound Pelicans front court appears in two main ways: screens and boards.
For years, Eric Bledsoe, a two-time NBA All-Team selector, had to deal with trying to get around Adams ’screens. He is much happier now that Adams is on his side. But in training camp this year, Bledsoe caught the wrong end on screen from Williamson.
“That was very brutal,” Bledsoe said. “Fixed it. Fixed it. I think I was out for about three days.”
As a reserve guard, Sindarius Thornwell has the inescapable duty to oppose the Pelicans’ pioneers in practice. That means he’s consistently on the other end of difficult kicks with both Williamson and Adams.
“They’re probably two of the most physical people in the league,” Thornwell said. “It’s not fun to go against them, though, when you get hit by one of those screens.”
Opponents, teammates, even teammates – no one is ever really safe from the wrath of those choices. Before Williamson started last season, the Pelicans had to play 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 games against staff, coaches and out-of-circuit players until the end. ramp up his position to prepare to play in a real game. . Several sources told ESPN that, after one such session, a Pelicans employee was sent to a local hospital to find out for a possible decision because he ran directly inside. to the Williamson screen, eating an arm face in the process. (The employee was fine).
In games, Pelicans ball handlers can go off a double screen with Williamson or Adams at every angle. At times they run through both. Sometimes they use one while the other screener rolls. At times they pay attention to both and drive to the goal. Sometimes the other player who is not using the screen – Adams or Williamson – screens for the screener to trigger an action.
“That would be very worrying,” Adams said with a cuckle.
And those screens are effective. The cross-league average for straight shots off the pick is 0.98 points per opportunity, according to Second Spectrum tracking. The Pelicans average 1.12 points per chance each time a player shoots directly off the Williamson or Adams screen.
Equally impressive is Williamson and Adams’ ability to build boards, especially on the offensive end. After midday relegation numbers a quarter ago, the Pelicans found themselves near the top of the NBA: fourth place in offensive rebounds (29.8%), sixth in defensive rebates (75.1%) and fourth place overall (52.3%). When Williamson and Adams are on the floor together, the numbers get smoother – jumping to 33.4%, 76.3% and 55.4%, respectively.
For some opponents, the counter puts five boys hitting the class to counter Williamson and Adams. For others, the task is simple: Prepare to fight.
“It’s definitely a little bigger work with Steven Adams and Zion, but it’s a big challenge,” Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert said.
Most NBA starting lines feature only one intimidating force in advance. Adams-Williamson’s best opponents seem to come from Indiana (Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner), Los Angeles (Marc Gasol and Anthony Davis) and Milwaukee (Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez), but not none of those duos completely come together for the same levels of size, explosion and power.
“Man, Steven is strong,” Williamson said on the first day of training camp. “As it was, I thought I was strong, but, you know, like seeing it up close, like, on the same team now, it’s crazy.”
Now the case for New Orleans is turning all that force into strength.
THA NA PELICANS rough season. They enter Tuesday’s game at level 12 in the Western Conference with trade talks surrounding many of their veterans. As New Orleans ’chances of moving up into the in-game racing pit are increased, the likelihood of this roster looking different next year is increasing.
But Williamson is locked in as key right, and Adams signed an extension two years after the trade. It’s a priority for us to do this great duo job – one the team was optimistic about getting into the season.
“I found 4 and 5 together anywhere in the league that is as physical as those two guys,” Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters at training camp.
“When we did that trade, I said, ‘Look, the only thing I know for sure: You might come in here and shoot the ball well. You might find a way to You never punk the New Orleans Pelicans with those two men next to each other. “
In fact the inconsistent Pelicans have been punished at times on the way to a 10-12 record, although their starting court gives reason for optimism. New Orleans minus-1.0 overall net rating improves to a plus-5.6 with Williamson and Adams on the court. The duo helps deliver stronger defense, more effective offense and total spark.
“Taking a bit of grit and sadness,” Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram said of Williamson and Adams fighting for loose balls. “That’s where the energy begins.”
When Adams dives on the floor, he prefers to come out of the scrum with ownership. Once he gets his hands on the ball, it ‘s hard to release him from captivity – one reason he’ s tied for the team ‘s lead with 23 recoveries this season.
Williamson showed his strength in his first summer league game when he tore the ball away from the New York Knicks forward Kevin Knox II and sent him home. The Pelicans still use a snippet of it snatching the ball away from two-time Antetokounmpo MVP in one of their fourth hype videos played at the Smoothie King Center.
Its latest strength: bending rims.
In Friday night ‘s game against Indiana Pacers, Williamson needed just one dribble to explode into the series with Pogers center Goga Bitadze waiting for the edge. Bitadze got a piece of the ball – and maybe Williamson too – but Williamson grabbed the edge with such force trying to flush the slam that he closed the game for a while.
“As soon as the refs told us what the delay was, I don’t think it surprised anyone,” Pelicans defender Lonzo Ball said afterwards. “At the end of the day, you know, it can break an edge at any time.”
But brush hits and reliable replacements can’t get it so far. New Orleans is still looking for ways to solve one not-so-lacking part of the partnership: Adams passing.
“When you give [Adams] the ball at the elbow and let it run droffble handoff and make the high-low food to [Williamson] and that worked in all directions, “said David Griffin, executive president of New Orleans,” we thought their skill sets could work together. “
That’s one issue for the Pelicans kicking back in a league now controlled by 3-point shooting and switchability. This is not a pair of bullyballs camping out on the blocks and stomping the lane.
“The comparison shouldn’t be like the big two, say traditional, like the average team back in the day,” Adams said. “It’s still a little different from that … even when [Williamson is] on the edge and the material, it still has a natural weight to it. “
The top of this duo remains a mystery, especially since Williamson has the potential to be his own center. But one thing is for sure.
“Oh I still think he’s stronger,” Adams said with a laugh. “[Williamson] certainly more impressive than me, yes. “