Through three quarters against the Spurs on Wednesday, Zion Williamson looked like a man struggling in his NBA debut after missing multiple months with a knee injury.
Then, all of that was rendered meaningless in a three-minute span.
Williamson was hotter than a blowtorch in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 straight points in a three-minute span. He hit all four of his three-point attempts after never hitting more than two at Duke.
And he set all kinds of records in the process. He became the first rookie since Jake Layman in 2016 to score 17 points in a quarter. He became the first player to go 4-for-4 from three-point range in his debut ever.
While it ultimately came in a loss as the Spurs absorbed the run and punched back with one of their own, it was as memorable a debut as there has been in the NBA in years. It set the stage for just what the Pelicans can become in the coming weeks and months this season. And it gave New Orleans fans the show they’ve been waiting months for.
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