Zion Williamson Lives Up to the Hype, at Least for One Night - The New York Times

LAS VEGAS — Before an earthquake shut down the N.B.A.’s Las Vegas summer league Friday night, Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans’ rookie star, joined his teammates in a pregame layup line.

Floyd Mayweather had arrived with his enormous entourage. Lonzo Ball sat nearby in a low-fitting baseball cap. LeBron James, who watched from the opposite baseline, multitasked by greeting various dignitaries who stopped to pay their respects, DeMar DeRozan, P.J. Tucker and Brandon Ingram among them. The Thomas & Mack Center was full.

It was the opening night of the summer league, in a city that knows how to put on a show. But the atmosphere inside the building was especially charged, and it had everything to do with Williamson, a 6-foot-7, 285-pound power forward who has the general dimensions of a dump truck.

“We want great stars like that out there,” Warren LeGarie, the executive director of the summer league, said in an interview. “Let’s see how good you are. Let’s see if you can separate yourself from the clutter. They really owe it to themselves to prove whether they were worth all the hype. And we provide that forum.”

Well before the Pelicans made him the top overall pick in the N.B.A. draft last month, Williamson was dealing with outsize expectations. But perhaps “dealing” is not quite the right word. Meeting them? Exceeding them? Hype is a fickle beast, and an unforgiving one. Look no further than Ball, who was the main attraction at summer league in 2017, which was not so long ago. But after two injury-marred seasons with the Lakers, Ball will be traded to the Pelicans. A second act awaits, and who knows what his future holds.

Williamson, 19, is the latest prodigy to step into the maw, fresh off a remarkable season at Duke, where he shot 68 percent from the field and averaged 22.6 points a game.

He plays with so much power that one of his sneakers once imploded. His dunks are so ferocious that they live on on the internet. Each time Williamson takes the court, there is a what-will-he-do-next vibe to the proceedings. No young player in the game has more promise, but no one can be certain of his ceiling — not yet, anyway. For all his gifts, there is room for improvement, and that is one of the reasons for the buzz.

So there he was in the layup line Friday night, except no one wanted to see him take layups. Eager to please, he soared for dunks — after throwing the ball off the backboard to himself, after twisting 270 degrees, after bounding off two feet. When he attempted a layup, he was booed. Life in the N.B.A. is going to be different for him.

“He’s a monster,” said Frank Jackson, the Pelicans’ second-year point guard. “He’s just so powerful. Everything he does is explosive.”

In nine minutes of playing time, Williamson soared and dunked and showed the strength that has many fans eager to see how he handles pro-level competition in the N.B.A. — CreditEthan Miller/Getty Images

There was a game, too. Kind of. Sort of. The Pelicans played the Knicks, which the public-address announcer described as “the main event” amid a full schedule of games. There was a capacity crowd. Fans jammed the concourses. Williams was the last player to be introduced, then he went to work.

In a twist, his first chunk of N.B.A. basketball was not exactly a dreamscape. His first jump shot was short. His second jump shot was blocked, and his mechanics looked downright rickety. But then came the magic, and it came quickly: three dunks in 78 seconds, including one after he ripped the ball from the Knicks’ Kevin Knox, who is not a small man.

Over on the bench, Williamson’s teammates reflected on his handiwork. The dunks were a topic of conversation. They did not compare to some of the stuff he had done in practice.

“Those were light,” Jackson said. “So we haven’t even seen the best of what he can do, and we’re going to see a lot of it, for sure.”

Somewhere in the middle of this fireworks display, Anthony Davis entered the arena to sit next to James, his soon-to-be teammate on the Lakers. Not so long ago, Davis was the face of the Pelicans. But that was before he forced his way out of New Orleans, a franchise that is rebuilding in his absence — perhaps stronger than ever, with Williamson as its centerpiece.

On Friday, Williamson did a little of everything in just nine minutes of playing time, scoring 11 points and grabbing three rebounds while shooting 4 of 9 from the field. After a knee-to-knee collision, he did not play in the second half. His injury did not appear to be serious, but the Pelicans were wise to hold him out.

Lenny Wilkens, the Hall of Fame player and coach, was among those who had a courtside seat to watch Williamson play in person for the first time.

“He’s got a lot of talent,” said Wilkens, who identified areas of potential growth. “Just knowledge of the game: where people are, when to get rid of the ball. Stuff like that. But he’ll do it.”

It was a game that will not soon be forgotten — for many reasons. Early in the fourth quarter, the game was delayed — and eventually canceled, with the Pelicans leading, 80-74 — when an earthquake shook the arena. Most of the players, including Williamson, went to the team bus without speaking to reporters.

But after offering a glimpse of his future, he will be heard from again.

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