The New Orleans Pelicans are committed to Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson long-term. They showed as much with Williamson last year, at times taking a frustratingly long-term mindset into situations in regards to his playing time. With Ingram, that commitment came in the form of the $158 million contract handed out this off-season.
Monday, though, was a glimpse of what could, and should, be in store for the Pelicans as they head into a new era with their young superstars. Without Jrue Holiday gone, Ingram and Williamson represent the unquestioned present and future of this franchise and the showed why in their preseason opener against Miami, combining for 48 points on 15-of-26 shooting in a debut win for New Orleans, 114-92.
“I thought our effort, by and large, was very good, especially for the first preseason game,” new head coach Stan Van Gundy said after his first unofficial game in charge. “Obviously, the effort will have to get even better as you head into the regular season and a big component of that is we have to still get in better shape. We’re no different than anybody else in the league.”
It didn’t take long for either to show they’ve been worth the patience and commitment from the franchise. Williamson poured in 10 points, going a perfect 6-for-6 at the line, in the first quarter along with six rebounds.
“We’ve said all along when we can get him attacking the basket and when we can get him in motion going to the basket, it’s really hard for anyone to stop him without fouling,” Van Gundy said of Williamson. “The two most impressive things about his night to me were his defensive rebounding…and then obviously his free throw shooting was outstanding. He’s been putting a lot of time in with Fred Vinson. His shots looked good, went in the basket. He’s going to be at the line a lot and his ability to make free throws will be huge for us.”
A 64.0% free throw shooter last year, Williamson went 10-of-11 at the line on Monday. He ended the evening with 26 points and 11 rebounds and, maybe most important, did it all while playing 33:13 and without a single burst limit.
“It was a different feeling, I can’t even lie,” Williamson said. “It was a different feeling for sure. I think I was only able to finish a game like three, maybe four times last year but it was a great feeling because when the clock struck zero, I was almost like ‘Wow. It’s been a while.’ After the game, they’re saying I played 33 minutes and that’s why I play basketball, to play a lot of minutes and help my team win.”
After Williamson’s strong first, Ingram flexed his muscle in the second. scoring nine of his 11 points in the frame inside the first three minutes. The 22 points Ingram finished the night with wasn’t new after his breakout season last year but the six assists were something he did only 14 times last year.
“I think that’s the part of the game that I’m most excited about it is being a playmaker on the floor and getting everybody else involved,” Ingram said. “I think that’s the best way to play basketball. It’s fun for everybody to feel confident and comfortable on the basketball floor to do whatever they want to do and playing to their strengths. Being a playmaker and seeing over guys makes the game more fun for us.”
Just as important, though, was the work Ingram did defensively, a sore spot for the team last season and a point of emphasis for Van Gundy this preseason.
“He took the game over on the offensive end and then in the second half,” Van Gundy said, “especially after his first rotation in the second half, he was very active with his hands and created some turnovers and he should be able to do some things like that with his length. He should be active and cause some problems with a lot of people.”
“Brandon played really great on the defensive end and, of course, on the offensive end,” Williamson added. “Brandon just has really long arms so even if you feel like he’s a step behind when you’re making a pass, he’s able to use his length and get out there and get a deflection. He’s really gotten great at using his body and using his length.”
Due to Williamson’s minutes restrictions last season, he and Ingram hardly shared the floor together. Tuesday offered a chance to see what the two could do together as the main focal points of a new offense as well.
“I feel like we did ok,” Williamson said. “I think me and him have a lot of room for improvement on playing off each other and learning each other’s games still. That was the first time in months that we’ve played together in a real game situation.”
The Pelicans will have just one more preseason game to figure much of this out, a home game on Friday against Milwaukee. But Monday’s signs were a big positive for the team moving forward.