Zion Williamson talks Bounceback Win, Favorite Ball Handlers | Pelicans-Jazz Postgame 1/23/2024

Zion Williamson talks Bounceback Win, Favorite Ball Handlers | Pelicans-Jazz Postgame 1/23/2024

Uh 153 was a uh franchise record for for points for you guys just what do you think you guys did well offensively in this game we made shots we made him at a hot clip to be honest but uh a lot of that was just transition getting stops going

And when we ran our offense we uh we ran it with Force what just I mean you had 11 assists career high what helped you just get into like kind of a a flow as a playmaker tonight uh just my coaches and uh my teammates trusting me to kind

Of be Point Zion um throughout most of the game I would say that definitely helped me just kind of get a feel for the game and just get a feel for where my teammates going to be at yeah do you feel like there was more of those kind

Of opportunities like the the point eye on opportunities and things like that absolutely will told us one of the things y’all worked on the past couple of days was kind of getting you involved early getting you some touches early just to get you going how did y’all kind of just

Uh come to that conclusion collectively that y’all wanted to uh kind of put that into the game plan um honestly I think it was just kind of over the course of the past few days the coaches different coaches would come talk to me and would ask like what is

Your mindset in the beginning of the games and I my mindset is just kind of get the lay of the land really see how the defense is guard me and when I can attack and when not to um and I’m able to do that cuz I have like CJ and bi out

There so you know they usually get it going early but you know the coaches spoke to me and just told me I need to be more aggressive to start the game yeah last year we talked a whole lot about y’all wanting to be a team that shoots more threes being able to open

The floor for you and now that y’all are successfully doing it how has that kind of change the game for you uh I mean he makes the game easier I can’t lie you got dudes out there like Hawk murf CJ B and even I mean even herb

And JV and Larry we just really we really got Shooters across the board and we’re on the court I mean anybody is capable of running off two or three threes in a row and Z you got to your 10 assist before you got 10 points did you ever

Think you’d get double digit assists Four Points scoring that amount of points in a game uh when I was younger and I was like only playing point guard yeah I probably probably did that a few times but in the league no I I never saw that you remember the last time you had

Love probably high school yeah I’m going say probably high school was the last time I had 11 assis this one being a little bit more um me personally uh individual stuff I always say it when we win stuff like that will come with it uh I’m just glad

We were able to get a bounceback win after our last loss at home um so I think that’s what I’m most excited about and there were a number of great plays in tonight’s game but what did you think of herb coming up with I think a

Key steel grabbing in mid court and then he got down the court bi flipped to him and he flipped it behind the back to you for a dunk I don’t uh that was an amazing play but uh the block he had where he just I was I was there and I’m like man

It just kind of happened so fast and it wasn’t until I went and sat down BR I was like yo did you see that like that man just went up and just grabbed it uh but that’s herb uh herb lives for plays like that um and he’s unselfish where he could

Have easily had went up and finished layup or dunk uh he was unselfish and made the pass so I mean I show what kind of dud herb is you often talk about playing point guard when you were younger but who are some guys you kind

Of looked up to as far as just passing just watching them uh Magic Johnson uh Kenny Anderson um I know one y’all ain’t going to know uh I feel like only people out of Baltimore really know this one uh a brother named skit wise um I would say those three and just

My stepdad just kind of teaching me the game on the two alley you had tonight just I don’t know if you would if you watch the replay of it but can you kind of talk us through that first one the one you caught with one hand uh the

First one I caught uh I was kind of in a position where I was going to be falling out of bounds and it was kind of like one of those game time decisions where should I go up with two hands or just go with one

And it was just one of those it I’m going with one uh and I was able to make it uh the second one was kind of just a chest move the first one I kind of did a mgti cut got the foul uh so uh Kelly was

Uh looking for the mgti cut so I just did a ghost cut and CJ found me and I was able to finish I know you’ve spoken about how it’s you’re going to take the season it’s going to take the season to kind of get back in Rhythm and stuff now in the

Second half or entering the second half of the Season just how where would you say you’re at physically mentally and I guess all the above how are you feeling about 88 88 90% uh I’m getting there uh and my body feels good and I’m personally I’m

Just I’m just happy to be on the court miss a lot of time and I’m I’m just glad to be out there is it is it reinforcing rewarding that like you know as as you uh are also getting back to to where you want to be um you’re having success but

The team is also having success you you guys are having a good season uh in in the playoff race and stuff is is it rewarding reinforcing that P off to absolutely uh cuz I always say in interviews we all have the same goal here and that’s the win so I feel like

We’re continuing to put our our El in positions uh to win and got to be consistent with it JB JB had 17 and 13 in in 23 minutes can you talk about just how tough he was to stop in the paint Andor there was a play where he fought

Off like two guys and ended up with a dunk you know and the paint and the coaches all went crazy what did you think of just his performance that’s a man like JV is JV strong I know I’m strong but uh I gotta build my Force JV is just

Strong so when I see him do stuff like that I mean part of his him being strong and part of his uh IQ uh him knowing where to position himself to get those rebounds uh he probably would have had 17 and 17 had he not uh missed those few

Minutes in the third but I mean that’s JV he’s a pro as Pro there is there a story behind the shirt that you water day like why you water just Happ wear I I know it’s Dre I know man I wish I could give y’all

A good story on why I wore this shirt but uh it was my boy Rico he uh put the shirt out I was like man that shirt dope we win with it CJ had 33 points nine threes he’s had a number of big games for you guys especially in your wins

Would you say he’s an Allstar a deserving Allstar a direct quote from CJ he said it last year you get paid like an Allstar

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson’s postgame interview after the Pelicans’ win against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, Jan. 23 during the 2023-24 NBA season.
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New Orleans Pelicans Roster
———————————————–
Jose Alvarado #15 Guard
Dyson Daniels #11 Guard
Kaiser Gates #12 Forward
Jordan Hawkins #24 Guard
Brandon Ingram #14 Forward
Herbert Jones #5 Forward
E.J. Liddell #32 Forward
Naji Marshall #8 Forward
CJ McCollum #3 Guard
Trey Murphy III #25 Guard
Larry Nance Jr. #22 Forward
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl #50 Forward
Matt Ryan #37 Forward
Dereon Seabron #0 Guard
Jonas Valanciunas #17 Center
Zion Williamson #1 Forward
Cody Zeller #44 Forward-Center

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