The New Orleans Pelicans are among the more intriguing teams in the Western Conference heading into the NBA playoffs. They are sixth in defensive rating and fourth in net rating.
The Pelicans play many ways defensively with several wings and scorers. Depending on the situation, they can play small or big and load the court with defenders or offensive threats.
Yet, one of the most undercovered stories this season has been Zion Williamson’s defensive turnaround. In this X’s and Mo’s, we take a look at the changes Williamson has made and a small wrinkle Pelicans coach Willie Green uses to get him downhill on offense.
It’s hard to recall a season where a player has made such a defensive transformation as Willamson has this season. Since he was drafted in 2019, he has been a defensive liability for the Pelicans.
Williamson has shown flashes of good defensive instincts, but nothing like the blocks or defensive commitment he gave at Duke. He was volleyball-spiking shots like you and I do on a NERF rim.
But Williamson’s effort reached a crisis against the Los Angeles Lakers in the In-Season Tournament final four. He looked disinterested and out of shape.
Zion has zero awareness of where LeBron is on this fast break, he has his back to him and by the time he turns around LeBron is already cutting. pic.twitter.com/Fz3r1RR7u5
— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) December 8, 2023
Williamson is just trotting back on defense while LeBron James is sprinting down the court like a raging bull.
Despite Williamson’s poor effort to start the season. the Pelicans still earned a top-10 defensive rating (112.7).
Then something changed for Williamson; it’s as if a switch was flipped. After the All-Star break, Williamson was showing the effort. He went from making one defensive play to multiple ones on the same possession.
The numbers show it. After the All-Star break, the Pelicans’ defensive rating improved to 106.9 with him on the floor.
As impressive as the numbers have been, it’s worth noting who Williamson is guarding, too. He matches up against the opponent’s top options and holds his own.
Against the Miami Heat, Williamson is assigned to Jimmy Butler. Williamson does a good job shutting down Butler’s baseline drive and then meeting him in the paint. He also doesn’t get caught up in the air on the pump fake and forces Butler to kick out the ball.
In the Pelicans win over the LA Clippers a few weeks ago, Williamson matched up with Kawhi Leonard in the fourth quarter. Williamson picks up Leonard on the perimeter, stops the drive to the middle, keeps him out of the paint and forces him into a tough, off-balance fadeaway that misses.
This is a drastic difference in the level of effort and attention that was displayed earlier this season.
Williamson’s ability to defend Butler and Leonard gives the Pelicans more defensive versatility. This allows Green to tinker with matchups and use Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III and Nanji Marshall to strengthen the team defensively.
Pelicans screen placement
Green has made a small wrinkle in the Pelicans’ pick-and-roll game with Williamson as the ballhandler, which creates problems for opposing defenses.
The biggest concern for opponents is keeping Williamson from getting downhill on drives. With no worries about him taking a pull-up jumper, his primary defender often sags off him. Setting a ball screen near the 3-point line allows defenders to go under the screen and meet Williamson before gets in the paint, but the Pelicans don’t set their screens for him there. His teammates set screens for Williamson where defenders are sagging off of him in the paint.
In the play below against the Clippers, P.J. Tucker is guarding Williamson on the sideline but is sagging near the paint. Jonas Valančiūnas sets a screen for Williamson along the lane line. When Williamson clears the screen, he is a step away from the rim, putting Ivica Zubac in a difficult position to defend.
Any action New Orleans runs for Williamson is inside the 3-point line.
In this clip against the Heat, the dribble handoff action off an out-of-bounds play is happening at the elbow. The Heat’s Nikola Jović switches to him, and Williamson attacks, getting to the rim easily.
It’s a clever wrinkle from Green. If opposing defenders sag off of Williamson, it turns into a huge advantage for the Pelicans. Opponents are conceding real estate to Williamson, and by the time they attempt to stop him, he’s at the rim.
Teams will crowd Williamson on these pick-and-rolls, and doing so creates passing lanes for Pelicans shooters CJ McCollum, Jones and Murphy III. Those are the decisions defenses will have to make against the Williamson pick-and-roll.
It’s hard to believe, but Williamson has never played in an NBA playoff game. Will this be the season? And if so, will he be able to maintain his defensive intensity and will he still be able to attack sagging defenders with deep pick-and-rolls?
(Photo of Zion Williamson and Jimmy Butler: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
