Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans played the red-hot Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, and even though New Orleans lost the game by more than 20 points, the forward was probably the best player on the floor that night.
He scored a game-high 37 points on 17-of-23 shooting from the field against LeBron James, Luka Doncic and company. What made his scoring outburst all the more impressive was that he played well under 30 minutes and didn’t need the 3-point shot to reach that point total, as he didn’t so much as attempt a 3.
In light of Williamson’s dominant offensive showing against the Lakers, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill wrote in a post on X that the NBA will be in trouble if the former Duke University standout can add even somewhat of a reliable jumper to his scoring arsenal.
Zion get a ounce of a jumper league in trouble
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) March 5, 2025
Williamson hasn’t shot the 3 at the NBA level with much volume or efficiency. He’s a career 32.7 percent 3-point shooter on just 0.5 attempts per game, and he’s never averaged more than 0.7 attempted 3s per game in a single season in the league.
But Williamson’s jump-shooting woes extend beyond merely his lack of 3-point shooting chops. His shot chart with the Pelicans so far this season suggests that he isn’t very comfortable shooting the ball 10-plus feet away from the basket.
Williamson has taken 381 field-goal attempts this season, and only 35 of those attempts have come from 10 feet and beyond. Additionally, he’s let it fly from deep just 13 times and found the bottom of the net on three of those looks.
Still, the play of Williamson has helped the Pelicans be a more competitive basketball team lately. The Pelicans are winners of four of their last six games. They’re still way below .500, but the recent results have been nice, and having Williamson on the floor has been encouraging given his frequent availability struggles in the NBA.
Maybe in the offseason, Williamson will dedicate a sizable amount of time and practice to improving as a shooter. As Hill implied, opposing NBA teams are seemingly going to be lost as to how to limit him on the offensive side of the ball if he can evolve into a capable shooter.
