New Orleans Pelicans: 3 observations about Zion Williamson’s early play

3. His strength and quickness is his strength

One look at Williamson’s shot chart, and the accompanied videos, and it’s easy to see where his confidence lies. Despite being 6-6, Williamson is able to get great post position by using his strength and leverage that.

His footwork in the post is quick and allows him to get to his left hand for strong finishes, even when opponents know its coming. Remarkably, 76.4 percent of his shot attempts are within three feet of the rim, and he’s shooting 68.2 percent on these attempts.

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He uses his strength to draw contact, too. He’s getting to the free-throw line 7.8 times per game, which is ninth in the NBA. Improving his free-throw shooting — he only shot 64 percent in college and is converting 65.4 percent of these attempts this season — could go a long way in improving his scoring numbers, efficiency and solidifying himself as a threat. That, of course, could come as he improves his shooting touch on the perimeter, too.

Williamson’s efficiency is one of the best the NBA has seen for a single season. He has a 25.4 player efficiency rating (PER), albeit a small sample size, which ranks eighth for a single season among those playing at least 10 games in their rookie season according to basketball reference. Only Jeff Foster (19 games) and Boban Marjanovic (54 games) are among those ahead of him who haven’t played 70 games, or more.

One area Williamson plans to improve his late-game mindset, he said in a postgame press conference before the All-Star break. He admitted his confidence hasn’t been there, so look for him to trust his instincts, which could unlock a different level of play down the stretch.