Zion Williamson made his Summer League debut on Friday and, for a little while, it looked like those watching were in store for an absolute show from the No. 1 overall pick. Those kind of expectations tend to get set when one’s first NBA highlight involves taking the lunch money of a second-year player. In this case, it was Knicks teen Kevin Knox who got thrown to the ground like a rag doll so that Zion could steal the ball for an emphatic slam.
Unfortunately for those expecting a full dunkapalooza from the rookie, that one amazing highlight would be all that Zion would put together before leaving the game in the first half after taking a knee-to-knee hit. The Pelicans reportedly do not believe it’s a serious injury, but they sat their top pick out for the remainder of the game as a precaution.
In the nine minutes he did end up playing, he scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds.
Given that this was a Summer League game, and the competition Zion played against was nowhere near the level it’ll be in the regular season, there’s very little, if anything, that can be used in this short performance to predict how his NBA future will pan out. If nothing else, however, it at least provided some insight on the development of Kevin Knox, who should probably consider hitting the weight room a few times before ever deciding to guard Zion again.