New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson has clearly made strides in his physical approach to the game, but also in his mental one.
Zion Williamson didn't want to delve too deeply into specifics during New Orleans Pelicans media day, but it's clear that the star is not too happy with how his career has panned out to this point heading into Year 8.
When asked about where he's at in his NBA career, Williamson said, "I'm not where I want to be." When asked for clarification, he said, "I'm just not where I want to be. I'm not where I need to be, where I want to be."
The good news for Williamson, though, is that he's still just 26 years old and coming off his most well-rounded season yet. Everyone around him has noticed the shift. Pelicans boss Joe Dumars said that the star "gets it" now. His teammates notice a better leader.
As for Williamson, the improvements that he made in his health and approach heading into his games have stuck. Now, it's about figuring out the mental side of it. Head coach Jamahl Mosley said earlier in the day that he believes basketball is 80% mental.
One of the biggest complaints about Williamson's game, which was brought up a few times throughout media day, is that he is going to need to shoot more jumpers. Mosley insinuated that the star was too predictable at times. That doesn't just affect Williamson, either, as it makes it harder for everyone to score in the paint.
At this point, it's not about whether Williamson can make the shots. It hasn't been for a while. He has always practiced them and even shown the ability, in flashes, to pull up for a mid-range jumper and nail it. Every time he does it, it's clear how much it catches defenses off guard.
For Williamson, it has become about being ok with the misses. This is someone who has shot above 60% from the field on three separate occasions. He has talked about being a perfectionist in the past, so it hurts to see inefficiency from the field. At this point, though, the coaches will take misses from the mid-range as long as he continues to actually attempt them.
"This summer was about breaking [the perfectionist mindset] and just playing my game. Trusting my game," said the former first overall pick. "Trusting my jumper and getting those shots up. Whether I was playing pickup, away from the team, with the team, just getting shots up and trusting it. If I miss, I miss. The next shot is going in."
This all goes back to one of the biggest overarching messages of the day of talking to the team. Selflessness and sacrifice. Mosley talked a lot about how competing in the NBA is a "five-man job." It's going to take every member on the floor contributing and taking away from their own game to make sure everyone else is in a better spot.
"I think for us to achieve anything that we say we want to do, everybody has to have a level of sacrifice to giving in a part of themselves for the greater good of the team. That's just what makes successful teams successful," said Mosley.
Williamson's field goal percentage can be looked at as part of that. Teams having to respect him away from the rim will open things up for Derik Queen who, in turn, talked about how he needs to shoot more in order to make things work between he and Williamson.
Heading into the penultimate year of his contract, there still hasn't been much extension talk between the two sides. It's clear that there is still more for Williamson to show this season before the team continues to think about long-term plans.
