There’s an expression two of New Orleans’ head coaches from the last decade often use to describe how constructive criticism should be delivered: "It’s not about calling a player out; it’s about calling him up."
After Thursday’s practice, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson explained that it was how he viewed the notion that he needed to play more actively in Tuesday’s preseason finale at Orlando. Williamson had a few quiet stretches at both ends of the floor in an Oct. 12 game vs. Houston, but was all over the Amway Center hardwood against the Magic. The two-time All-Star was a disruptor on defense, getting into passing lanes and hounding ballhandlers to come up with five steals in just 16 minutes of action. Offensively, he scored 16 points, ran the floor well and did plenty of damage at the rim, finishing 6/8 from the field in the 104-92 victory.
Zion Williamson on second unit, Jordan Hawkins 10/19/2023
“One thousand percent,” Williamson said when asked about his determination in Orlando, before borrowing from Monty Williams’ and Willie Green’s expression. “My teammates called me up. They felt like I wasn’t going as hard. So I told them I’d be there for them. I wanted to come out and set the tone.”
Jose Alvarado (ankle), who is not yet a full participant in practice, was asked Thursday about Williamson’s performance and responded, “It starts with defense. Because we know how gifted he is offensively. If he gives us what we want on defense, we’re going to win a lot of games. It’s amazing seeing that. If we could get that every night, then Zion is going to be in the conversation for a lot of (individual recognition).”
“It was great,” Green said of Williamson’s Tuesday performance. “It’s what he’s capable of doing, night in and night out.”
Other notes from practice:
Green said Cody Zeller and Larry Nance Jr. practiced Thursday. “For the most part, it was (a) contact (practice),” the third-year head coach described. Meanwhile, Alvarado participated in non-contact portions of practice.
“It’s getting better,” Alvarado said of the progress of his right ankle. “It’s frustrating for me, because I want to be out there. We’re improving every single day.”
Asked about his chances of playing in the regular season opener Wednesday at Memphis, Alvarado said, “That’s my plan. Obviously (recently getting) the flu took me out unexpectedly. But the plan is still to be there for opening night and be myself.”