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Damichael Cole: Entertaining hoops tonight. That was a battle. Memphis fell 135-134 in overtime against the Pelicans. Ty Jerome was terrific down the stretch. He scored 40. Zion Williamson had 25. Grizz-Pacers on Wednesday
Pelicans Film Room: "Murph gave me a good pass in the end of the fourth quarter when I missed the layup. You know, it really got to me. So I said, I'm not going to let my guys down again. And my teammates and coaches trusted me and I made it happen" -- Zion Williamson on his play in overtime
Zion Williamson on CJ McCollum: “CJ was a a really great vet for me. From the moment me and him got to sit down, because when he came to the team, I was dealing with my broken foot and I was out that whole year, but and I was in Portland at the time and I was away from the team. But when I came back, you know, him and Larry Nance, you know, they would go out and get food and we would, you know, talk about what it looks like to be a pro, to be one of the greats and stuff like that. And you know, he would always kind of hold me to that standard.”
Jim Eichenhofer: Zion Williamson was leading league in steals at 3.2 per game, then had three more vs. Atlanta. Zion on the stat: "I wasn't even aware of it until one of the guys showed me. It's cool, but it's still early. Ask me again around Game 20. If I'm still top five, we're doing good."
Saddiq Bey scored 25 points in a reserve role, Jeremiah Fears added 20 points, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-99 on Saturday night. Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III each scored 15 for the Pelicans, who lead by 28 en route to their second straight victory after losing their first four games.
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Something else I gleaned when the Pelicans visited Dallas on Wednesday night: Zion Williamson wants to incorporate more of the 3-ball into his game. Williamson took only four 3s last season — total. But I watched him work on it pregame Wednesday and then launch four (albeit without a make) in the Pelicans' preseason finale against Washington.
NBA Trade Machine: Michael Porter was part of 4.1% of the trades built on HoopsMatic over the past 24 hours. Of those trades, his top destinations were New Orleans (21.7%), Boston (13.0%), and LA Lakers (10.9%). The most common players sent back for him were Zion Williamson (17.4%), Luka Doncic (8.7%), and Kyrie Irving (8.7%).
NBA Base: Jamahl Mosley is reportedly EXTREMELY excited about Zion Williamson, noting he arrived at training camp in incredible shape and noticeably slimmed down, per @BannedMacMahon “He's very excited about Zion, very excited about the way Zion's been working, the way that he reported to camp, the condition he's in. You know, it's like every camp there's a Zion weight update. He's slimmed down and looks ready to roll. We'll see if that stays that way, but he's given his new coach reason to believe.”
Pistons GM Trajan Langdon pushed back at a reporter who said this is his first time dealing with a disgruntled player: "It's the first time I've had to handle it here. I was in New Orleans for five years with a certain player that wasn't easy to deal with either. So I do have experience in that."
Sam Amick: "After yesterday, it could not be more toxic. I was pretty surprised by the way that the Pistons, headed by their front office president of basketball ops, Trajan Langdon, decided to frame things at media day. On the one hand, told reporters I am not going to talk about negotiations, but then had a couple of zingers where he compared Jalen (Duren) to his time in New Orleans and presumably Zion Williamson, which, as you know, there is a weight clause in Jalen's latest offer, which is also analogous to the Zion situation. Around the league, people are scratching their heads, going, apparently, clearly there is some concerns about Jalen's conditioning or dedication."
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New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson kept his answer brief when asked how he would summarize his first seven years as an NBA player. "I'm not where I want to be," said Williamson, whom the Pelicans drafted with the No. 1 pick out of Duke in 2019. "I'm not where I need to be."
Omari Sankofa II: Trajan Langdon on Jalen Duren being his first public negotiation: "It’s the first time I’ve had to handle it here. I was in New Orleans for five years with a certain player that wasn’t easy to deal with ... we can control what we can control, and that’s how we operate."
NBA Trade Machine: Zion Williamson appeared in 10.8% of trades built on HoopsMatic over the past 24 hours. Of his trades, his most common destinations were Sacramento (12.3%), Dallas (9.9%), and Houston (9.9%). The players traded for him most often were Kyrie Irving (7.4%), Alperen Sengun (7.4%), and Zach LaVine (6.2%).
Fletcher Mackel: The Pelicans start training camp on Monday. Also, Zion Williamson is listed at 277 lbs. From 2019-2026 Zion was listed at 284 lbs. Zion’s trainer has posted consistently on social media this offseason showing Zion workouts and highlighting his conditioning.