Zion Williamson Reveals His Disappointment and Frustration Over His Current Situation With the Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans suffered back-to-back defeats in their first two games after the NBA resumed its regular season. They lost a very close game against Utah Jazz 104-106. Then they were totally dominated by the Clippers 126-103. Their NBA rookie, Zion Williamson could play for limited minutes and many people attribute the losses to this.

On August 1, the team’s vice president David Griffin had made it clear when he told the media that Zion will not play the ‘significant minutes’. He told that the plan demanded players to make use of scrimmages in the bubble. But since Zion was out for an emergency, he can not come and play for 40 minutes straight. It’s going to take time for settling in.

Zion Williamson unhappy with the losses

Needless to say, Zion looked pretty disappointed with the losses his side had to endure. In a recent ESPN interview, he answered about the limited minutes by saying, “I’m gonna say it’s very tough to be honest because you know as soon as I start to break that sweat, I look over and that horn’s for me, and I come out to the game and also when I do catch the flow of the game, like I said that horn goes off and it’s for me.”

Zion also mentioned that this does not frustrate him because that emotion won’t help the team. Next, he tells when was the last time he let a game slip away like that. He said, “I don’t remember. Some AAU game back in the 5th grade maybe… The mood in the locked room was, it’s a loss. But you gotta move on and focus on the next game and worry about getting the win.”

Zion then spoke about the turnovers in the game and how ‘over passing’ led to the loss of possession. He called it a key part of their losses. 

What is next for Zion and the New Orleans Pelicans?

Zion seems unsure about the number of minutes they will allow him in the court. But he also looks quite determined on turning the team’s fate and making the most out of whatever he gets. The 20-YO said, “So you know when I’m coming out the game, my competitive side is telling me, man I just want to stay in. So I guess it does effect the fun a little bit but not too much.”

Pelicans will next take on Memphis Grizzlies on 3rd August at 6:30 PM ET. Williamson played for just 15 minutes in the starter, but we hope he will play at least something over that in the coming games.

Sources – New Orleans Pelicans – Twitter, ESPN – YouTube, Basketball Reference