Zion Williamson NBA takedown storm as it's Z Day for Zion Williamson: three months behind but the phenomenon is ready to take the NBA by storm.

We’ve been waiting for months, but the big moment has finally arrived. Zion Williamson, the first choice in the 2019 Draft and athletic phenomenon from Pluto, will make his big debut in the regular season tonight, in a meeting against the Spurs on the side of New Orleans. January 22, 2020, one day we may consider this date as a historic date.

It is obviously no coincidence that this match was immediately placed on the national air, on ESPN from 3.30 am French time. A week ago, the boss of basketball operations in New Orleans David Griffin balanced the date of the great beginnings of his phenomenon and immediately, we circled in red this January 22 in the agenda, a bit like Jimmy Butler with Pacers but that is yet another delirium. Since Zion Williamson's time at Spartanburg Day High School, his hype has grown steadily, especially through his crazy season at Duke University last year. A hype that should peak today for its very first NBA game against the Spurs at the Smoothie King Center.

Zion Williamson NBA takedown storm

Endowed with athletic qualities that do not come from this world, the product of Salisbury in North Carolina unleashes passions while he has not yet put a single toe on a floor in a regular season game, the fault of a injury and meniscus surgery at the end of the preseason. Precisely, speaking of preseason, he was so successful during the latter that the circus around him took on even more importance, as did our frustration at his prolonged absence. In just four games with the Pelicans, he showed he was ready to take on the NBA with averages of 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in 27.4 minutes, all at 71 , 4% shooting. Sacred stats, but it was above all the visual impression left by the guy who was creepy. Because yes, we saw a guy of not even 20 freelances dominate the game thanks in particular to a superiority on the physical level that we hardly ever see for a rookie.

    "Honestly, I don't know if I'm going to sleep. I will be too excited about my first NBA game. "

These words are signed Zion Williamson, via ESPN. But we could say the same thing, us as addicts of the orange ball in France. The excitement will be palpable, and we're not going to sleep. After months of waiting? Impossible. Zion's great beginnings are here and we can't wait to see the phenomenon mistreat the arches as he knows how to do it. For weeks and weeks, we waited. We waited longer than originally planned (six to eight weeks off). We had various updates on Zion's re-education and the fact that the Pelicans did not want to take any risk whatsoever with their phenomenon. First it was unclear around the date of its big debut, and then it gradually became clear, until arriving on January 22. So now, place on the ground. FINALLY. With all due respect to DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Ingram and Cie, all eyes will be on Zion in this Pelicans - Spurs, as was the case with LeBron James in 2003 when he played his very first game in NBA on the Sacramento floor. The two have often been compared, especially in terms of the hype it generates, and it will feel like reliving the King's great beginnings a bit. Like LeBron in its time, Zion is perceived as this generational phenomenon that could upset the Grande Ligue. It remains to be seen if his career will live up to huge expectations, as there may be some concerns about his extraterrestrial physique and the potential injuries it could cause.

But today, we are not going to project ourselves too much. We are going to try to stay in the moment and say that we are going to live the great beginnings of a young phenomenon of the orange ball, all in a rather exciting context. Because yes, we must not forget that Williamson will join a Pelicans team that is doing pretty well at the moment and who wants to fight to grab a place in the Playoffs. It started off badly at the start of the season with 22 losses in 28 games but thanks to 11 victories in its last 16 outings, the NOLA team is back in the mix. Alvin Gentry’s men have an overall record of 17 wins for 27 losses, while the Grizzlies - eighth in the West - are 20-23 in the standings. It's only 3.5 games behind, and we can imagine a scenario in which the return of Zion boosts the Pelicans in the race for the Playoffs. Obviously, we will have to watch how Williamson will integrate the current New Orleans collective, who should immediately start in the starting five.