No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson got his first chance to play Giannis Antetokounmpo on Tuesday night and the matchup proved to be mostly one-sided with the advantage going to the reigning NBA MVP.
Antetokounmpo recorded a game-high 34 points, 17 rebounds and six assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 120-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Williamson countered with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists but struggled on offense.
Williamson shot just 26.3% (5-of-19) from the field as the Bucks swarmed him all night on defense. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Bucks contested 15 of his 19 shots in the game as Antetokoumpo held Williamson to just 1-of-6 shooting as his primary defender.
Afterward, Antetokounmpo praised Williamson.
He’ll be a really good player for a lot of years to come. He’s out there helping the team; he’s competing as hard as possible. He’s just gotta stay healthy, and he’s gonna have a bright future.
Antetokounmpo was asked if sees any similarities between when he entered the NBA compared to Williamson this season, to which he quickly responded that he was just 185 pounds as a rookie versus the 285 pounds of Williamson.
But, Antetokounmpo offered a detailed look at what Williamson needs to do in order to have a long, successful career in the NBA.
When you’re younger and you’re taller than everybody and you got more length than everybody and you’re stronger and all of that, it’s easy when you’re in high school and in college. But now when you get to the pros, you gotta be able to get your skillset right, get your fundamentals right, be sharp and get your footwork right. Eventually, he’s going to get all of those things and when he gets all of those things, he’s going to be really good.
While Williamson struggled for much of the evening on offense, he turned in one highlight against Antetokoumpo when he snatched the ball away from him, resulting in a foul situation for Williamson.
Zion RIPPED the ball away from Giannis 🤯 pic.twitter.com/6g2WxRExwl
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 5, 2020
Williamson said after the game that the physicality and skill of Antetokounmpo ultimately proved to be too much for him. After playing very well since debuting on Jan. 22, there will be nights in which Williamson struggles as he navigates his first season in the NBA and Tuesday proved to be just that for him.
Fortunately, the meeting on Tuesday was the last of the season for the Pelicans.
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