## [Zion Williamson](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4395628/zion-williamson), pick-and-roll target
[Since their humiliation](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39068646/pelicans-zion-williamson-too-laid-back-vs-lakers-season-tournament-semifinals) in the in-season tournament semifinals, the Pelicans are 14-7 — rising to eighth in both points scored and allowed per possession. They have shaken some of their crunch-time yips.
That defensive ranking is impressive considering the Pelicans start only one above-average defender — though it helps that said player ([Herbert Jones](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4277813/herbert-jones)) seems able to teleport and extend his arms from sideline to sideline. The Pelicans might be getting a bit lucky — opponents have hit just 34.9% on 3s, third-lowest in the league — but their fundamentals are solid across the board.
They have allowed 112.2 points per 100 possessions with Williamson the floor — equivalent to their overall number. Advanced metrics have always been kinder than the eye test to Williamson’s defense. To wit: the Pels are allowing only 0.88 points per possession directly out of pick-and-rolls when Williamson guards the screener — the 26th-stingiest mark among 240 guys who have defended at least 100 such plays, per Second Spectrum.
That’s worth monitoring, because offenses are targeting Williamson more — and figure to double down if New Orleans makes the playoffs. Things can get ugly when Williamson hedges out on ball handlers. He sometimes picks the wrong side of the screen:
Dragging Williamson from screen to screen tests his stamina. He sometimes loiters on the perimeter to steady himself — leaving New Orleans defending 4-on-5 behind him. (That’s another reason his defensive rebounding numbers are so bad.)
Bigs usually favor this style of pick-and-roll defense when both the ball handler and screener can shoot 3s. Could New Orleans have Williamson play more conservatively against combos that don’t present that threat? Could he slide under that pick for [Ja Morant](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4279888/ja-morant)?
The problem is Williamson is a sitting duck — flat-footed prey for blow-bys — when he drops back.
Williamson is doing something right on defense. He’s huge and fast, and reads the game pretty well. The Pelicans boast a top-10 defense for the second-straight season. But the further you advance, the more predatory opponents get.
by kingralek
5 Comments
zion right now is a much better help defender than he is a point of attack defender. he’s not giannis, but he’s pretty good at timing to make a play from the opposite block. his best defensive plays are digs where he comes out of nowhere, rather than locking up a guy like herb
It’s hard to disagree with Zach’s comment about the eye test but he’s at least become a MUCH better defender over the course of his career.
Yeah that all checks out, heās much better than people give him credit for but still needs to improve by the time playoffs come around and people seriously start to hunt him
I’ve noticed more effort and activity on that side of the ball from Zion since the IST.
I agree with the overall analysis honestly. Iām not really worried about Zions defense tho. We donāt need him to be even an average defender. Just refrain from constant easy buckets and get a steal or block every now and then for momentum