'Didn't miss a beat': Zion wows as Pelicans roll

NEW YORK -- Despite praise from his teammates and coach, Zion Williamson called his regular-season instrumentality to the New Orleans Pelicans connected Wednesday nighttime conscionable a "decent starter performance."

"It's a batch of country for improvement," helium said. "I'm inactive learning my teammates. Now we get existent in-game reps. I'm conscionable excited to grow."

The numbers suggested acold much than conscionable decent. He collected 25 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals successful the 130-108 wire-to-wire Pelicans triumph implicit the Brooklyn Nets astatine Barclays Center.

It was an effort hailed by his ain squad -- and adjacent the opposition.

Pelicans manager Willie Green said it was similar Williamson "didn't miss a beat." Brandon Ingram said helium simply "picked up wherever helium near off."

And Nets guardant Kevin Durant was among those not surprised.

"He looked steadfast to me, helium looked good," Durant said. "Got up 22 shots, 9 rebounds, 25 points. At this constituent it's conscionable emblematic for him."

Williamson said it was a "breath of caller air" to get backmost connected the level aft missing the 2021-22 regular play due to the fact that of a breached foot. He said that during warm-ups helium could archer helium missed the allure of being successful an distant arena and noted that erstwhile the starting lineups were announced it was different infinitesimal erstwhile helium yet felt similar things were returning to normal.

Williamson was 11-of-22 from the field, with each 11 of his baskets coming from wrong the paint. In 86 vocation games, Williamson has had astatine slightest 20 points successful the overgarment successful 45 of those appearances, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Despite the clip missed, the lone subordinate with much games with 20 oregon much points successful the overgarment since the opening of the 2019-20 play is Giannis Antetokounmpo (74).

It was the archetypal clip Williamson played with galore of his caller Pelicans teammates aft not playing successful a regular-season crippled since May 4, 2021. In fact, of the players who saw enactment against the Nets, lone Ingram and Naji Marshall had played successful a regular-season crippled with Williamson before.

And due to the fact that of insignificant injuries to Williamson, Ingram and McCollum, the Pelicans ne'er got to spot their starting 5 successful the preseason.

"This is astir apt the archetypal clip we played unneurotic for much than 20 minutes, including practices," McCollum said. "So it was bully to spot america gel, It was bully to spot america find shots and rhythm."

Ingram had a team-high 28 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. McCollum had 21 points and six of the Pelicans' 31 assists.

Green has ever emphasized shot movement, but with 3 players who tin predominate the container people the mode Williamson, Ingram and McCollum do, he's stressed it adjacent much this season. According to Williamson, it helps that each 3 players person the aforesaid extremity successful mind.

"I said it earlier successful interviews and I wasn't conscionable saying it due to the fact that it sounded good, I said it due to the fact that I meant it," helium said. "All 3 of america tally unselfish and we each person the aforesaid goal, and that's to win. And erstwhile you privation to win, you enactment speech idiosyncratic goals oregon idiosyncratic things. Whatever I got to do, immoderate they got to bash to win, that's what we each going to do."

Ingram said the crippled was a "good start" for the 3 and believes it volition beryllium easier for them connected the violative extremity moving forward.

"When you person astute players and endowment retired there, it's easier to spell retired determination and conscionable play the game," helium said. "It was bully to spot a batch of one-on-ones that they couldn't beryllium successful a batch of assistance connected the antiaircraft extremity wherever we had shooters and we had antithetic guys that tin marque players connected the hoops floor."

Despite the scoring effort, Williamson did admit helium was inactive knocking disconnected a spot of rust.

"Yeah, determination are immoderate shots wherever I'm like, 'Well that's good' and erstwhile it rolls retired I'm like, 'No way.' But my teammates are determination for me," Williamson said. "They conscionable archer maine to enactment aggressive, support attacking and conscionable beryllium myself. So I mean, they're successful my country truthful my assurance is going to enactment high."

There was a small spot much rust connected the different seat Wednesday arsenic Ben Simmons made his regular-season Nets debut aft not playing past play for Philadelphia oregon Brooklyn. He played 23 minutes against the Pelicans and finished with 4 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists portion fouling retired of the game.

"I conscionable deliberation he's rusty," Brooklyn manager Steve Nash said. "The feline hasn't played successful implicit a year. He's inactive getting utilized to referees, defense, offense. This is simply a process for Ben. I've said it a lot, you guys person heard maine accidental it. He's shown evident glimpses of the subordinate we cognize helium is and tin be, but it's not easy. We're present to enactment him, we're present to manager him up and effort to get him to a spot wherever helium tin play astatine the level he's played astatine successful the past."

Added Simmons: "So overmuch going connected -- I deliberation I was conscionable excessively excited, honestly. But it was conscionable large to beryllium retired there. As a archetypal crippled evidently you privation to triumph but we cognize the reasons we lost. It was aggregate reasons we mislaid and those are things we tin fix. We cognize that's not america arsenic a team. I deliberation there's a batch of jitters retired determination aboriginal on, but it was bully to get that 1 retired of the way."

ESPN's Nick Friedell contributed to this story.