For Pelicans star Zion Williamson, quarantine didn’t just put a pause on his rookie season, but it was like a rewind of sorts.
He said his summer workouts made him feel like he was five years old again, going back to square one and relearning the fundamentals of basketball.
His work during the break was abundantly clear, as this viral video posted by the NBA’s Twitter shows Zion dominating during the Pelicans scrimmage in Orlando ahead of the season’s restart.
Fellow Pelican JJ Redick was asked on Sunday about Zion’s performance over the last few days and says the whole team is trying to get back to peak physical condition like that before the opening game against the Utah Jazz on June 30th.
“I think he’s moving great,” Redick says. “The video that went viral yesterday was pretty accurate in terms of the way he played yesterday in those scrimmages. I think for him and for all of us, we’re all just trying to find that game shape. Jamal Murray, earlier today or yesterday, said if anybody’s in game shape they were either lying or doing things they weren’t supposed to be doing during quarantine. So we’re all trying to find that rhythm and that shape, but Zion looks great.”