The New Orleans Pelicans are one of the most 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 multiple defenses with multiple wings and scorers. Depending on the situation, they can play small or big and load the field with defenders or offensive threats.
Yet one of the most under-the-radar stories this season has been Zion Williamson’s defensive turnaround. In these X’s and Mo’s, we look at the changes Williamson made and a little wrinkle Pelicans coach Willie Green is using to move him down on offense.
It’s hard to remember a season where a player made such a defensive transformation as Willamson did this season. Since being 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 engagement he gave at Duke. He was doing volleyball shots like you and I do on a NERF rim.
But Williamson’s efforts hit a slump against the Los Angeles Lakers in the last four tournaments of the season. He looked disinterested and out of shape.
Zion has no awareness of where LeBron is during 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 returns to defense while LeBron James sprints across the court like a raging bull.
Despite Williamson’s poor effort to start the season. the Pelicans won again a top-10 defensive rating (112.7).
Then something changed for Williamson; it’s like a switch is flipped. After the All-Star break, Williamson was trying hard. He went from one defensive play to multiple plays 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 ground.
As impressive as the numbers are, it’s also worth noting who Williamson is guarding as well. He takes on the opponent’s best options and holds his own.
Against the Miami Heat, Williamson was assigned to Jimmy Butler. Williamson does a good job stopping Butler’s baseline drive and then meeting him in the paint. He also doesn’t get caught in the air on the pump fake and forces Butler to take the ball away.
In the Pelicans’ win over the LA Clippers a few weeks ago, Williamson confronted Kawhi Leonard in the fourth quarter. Williamson picks up Leonard on the perimeter, stops the run up the middle, keeps him out of the paint and forces him into a difficult, off-balance fade that misses.
This is a drastic difference in the level of effort and attention displayed earlier this season.
Williamson’s ability to defend Butler and Leonard gives the Pelicans greater 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 ball carrier, creating problems for opposing defenses.
Opponents’ biggest concern is preventing Williamson from getting worse on drives. Without fear of him going for a pull-up, his main defender often sags. Setting a ball screen near the 3-point line allows defenders to get under the screen and meet Williamson before entering the paint, but the Pelicans don’t set their screens for him there. His teammates set screens for Williamson where defenders sag in the paint.
In the game below against the Clippers, PJ Tucker guards Williamson on the sideline but sags near the paint. Jonas Valančiūnas sets a screen for Williamson along the lane line. When Williamson clears the screen, he’s a step away from the rim, putting Ivica Zubac in a difficult position to defend.
Any action New Orleans takes for Williamson is inside the 3-point line.
In this clip against the Heat, the dribble handoff action on an out-of-bounds play occurs at the elbow. The Heat’s Nikola Jović passes to him and Williamson attacks, reaching the rim with ease.
It’s a clever wrinkle from Green. If opposing defenders get away from Williamson, it turns into a huge advantage for the Pelicans. Opponents concede real estate to Williamson, and by the time they try to stop him, he’s on the brink.
Teams will crowd Williamson on these pick-and-rolls, creating passing lanes for Pelicans shooters CJ McCollum, Jones and Murphy III. These are the decisions defenses will have to make against Williamson’s pick-and-roll.
It’s hard to believe, but Williamson has never appeared in an NBA playoff game. Will this be the season? And if so, will he be able to maintain his defensive intensity and still be able to attack sagging defenders with deep pick-and-rolls?
(Photo by Zion Williamson and Jimmy Butler: Sean Gardner/Getty Images)