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Andrew LopezESPN
NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Pelicans striker Zion Williamson was unhappy with his performance in Wednesday’s 128-124 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Williamson had 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists and, again, threw more than 50% of the field. He even tried 16 free throws, the best of the season. The problem, however, was that he made only eight of them – and missed two crucial ones in the final stretch.
So, instead of following his normal post-game routine, Williamson went back to the Smoothie King Center track and took extra photos.
He started his kicking routine under the goal and went back to the free-throw line. He needed to do at least 10 in a row before going on to shoot at seven different points around the 3-point line. When all was said and done, and at least 100 photos or more later, Williamson spent 40 minutes working on his technique before speaking to reporters.
When asked why he came back, his answer was simple.
“You guys saw the game, man,” said Williamson.
He explained that this is not something new for him, although he has never done it on the arena floor before. He likes to find another academy, he says, and will get excited after defeats or even after victories, sometimes.
But Wednesday’s game was different.
“I really felt like I let my team down, man,” said Williamson. “It’s like I tell you, I never want to disappoint you. All those free throws, you can’t fall like that. I have to be better in these situations. If I want to be one of those great players, I have to take a lot of responsibility and be ready to those moments. Right after the game, I felt like I had to go back to the court and find my flow. “
Improving his free kick was the main focus for Williamson to enter the season after kicking 64% of the line a year ago. After he got off to a rough start, shooting 53.1% in his first four games, Williamson and Pelicans’ assistant Fred Vinson started working on his shot a little more.
In February, Williamson’s free-throw percentage rose to 74.6% and was 70.7% for Wednesday’s game.
But after Williamson lost his first two free throws against the Bulls, he felt that something was wrong.
“I really feel like I was thinking too much,” said Williamson. “I feel like when I lost the first two, I started to think that maybe I was doing a lot of things wrong. I probably talk to Fred [Vinson], and Fred would probably say, ‘Oh, you didn’t load correctly’ or ‘You didn’t follow correctly’. This is Fred. I think I thought too much when it was probably just a small thing and probably would have come in. “
Williamson ended up losing his first four free throws, but hit seven out of the next eight. But he hit 1 of 4 on the line in the fourth period, including two lost at 1 minute and 23 seconds from the end, which could have reduced Chicago’s lead to two as Pelicans tried to eliminate the 19-point deficit.
The Pelicans were left behind because of their leaky defense, which has been a cause of concern for New Orleans throughout the season.
Fixing that – more than any offensive individual or team problem – is Pelicans’ focus if they want to continue to fight for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
“For us now, our attack is a good one,” said Williamson. “But we just have to play a good defense for four quarters. We have our moments when we play very well for three and a half games or we will play very well for four, but tonight we started the game slow.
“That was really the tone setter. I know we heard a lot with our defense, but we have to do that. I still feel like we’re close to that. It’s the NBA. Winning is not easy. But I trust my teammates and my coaches. , and we will find out and we will find out. “