The NBA season is only a few days old, and already there’s been a massive debut from Zion Williamson, a let-down from the Lakers, a meltdown from the Mavs and some new bling in the Bay.
Our panel of NBA reporters – Ric Bucher, Melissa Rohlin and Yaron Weitzman – tackled what they have seen so far and what they’re looking forward to next.
Who had the most noteworthy opening night?
Bucher: It has to be Zion. It had been well over a year since we had seen him play. The vacuum was filled with questions and innuendo about his interest in staying in New Orleans. All that was washed away by how crisp and quick he looked as the Pelicans put everyone on notice by embarrassing the Nets on their home floor (25 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists in a 130-108 win). I’d keep an eye on the chemistry between him and Brandon Ingram – you can see BI pressing to find his shot after stretches of Zion dominating the ball – but this time last year, I was super skeptical about both the Pels and Zion and now I’m cautiously optimistic about a renaissance for both.
Rohlin: Zion. He was a huge question mark heading into this season. Would he be in shape? Would he fit in with the Pelicans? Would he finally be as dominant as projected? Zion answered those questions in a 25-point performance in 30 minutes. He’s back and he looks good. The question now becomes … Could he actually be a contender for the MVP this season?
Zion Williamson dominates in Pelicans season opener win vs. Nets
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Weitzman: I was going to say Zion, because I was in Brooklyn for that game and watching him pummel the Nets after a year off was, well, impressive. But let’s add some diversity to this list, so how about Ben Simmons’ struggles? It’s never a good sign when you have more fouls than points (six fouls, four points) or when your teammates are feeling the need to give you pep-talks after the first game.
I know he’s still getting his feet under him after missing an entire season, but I still think it’s fair to say that his performance thus far — the fouls combined with the lack of aggressiveness — has been concerning.
What’s the one moment you can’t stop thinking about from the first few games of this NBA season?
Bucher: Ja Morant recovering from a turnover to smack a layup by Jalen Brunson off the backboard and feed Brandon…
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