A denied lob on an alley-oop. An errant pass to Derrick Favors that resulted in a turnover. To the bench in just 3 minutes and 51 seconds.
The first glimpse of Zion Williamson on an NBA floor last night was rather inauspicious, a contrast to what we would thought we'd see after a dominating preseason and considering the heaping hype that he has carried since he was a junior in high school. The most mesmerizing play, in fact, in the first NBA minutes for the most anticipated NBA debut since LeBron James was, actually, a pinpoint pass out of a post double team to a cutting Brandon Ingram that resulted in a layup.
As they say, though, patience is a virtue. Because, what began without a rumble, turned into a volcanic eruption in the 4th quarter, when the 6'6, 285 rookie forward whose weakness, they said, was an open jump shot, got hot, launching fire balls at a San Antonio Spurs defense that was ill prepared for the attack.
With 8:54 left in the 4th quarter, Williamson let go his first of what would be four three-point attempts - and makes - in the quarter. The Spurs' Patty Mills aligned himself a couple feet beyond the free throw line, giving the rookie ample space. After all, shooting was Williamson's weakness, right?
Wrong. He stuck it, his first from downtown during an electric stretch where he scored 17 straight points for the home team. At the point of the first make, he had 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. On the next possession, he caught a lob from Lonzo Ball, touching the ball off the glass softly. His barrage of threes followed. He would end the game, in all of 18 minutes, with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
In all of 2 minutes and 40 seconds, Williamson had electrified a home crowd, and proved his doubters wrong. His last point of the game came at the free throw line, fouled on a pass from Ball out of a pick and roll. At the line, he made 1 of 2. He was breathing heavily trying to catch his breath, a combination of adrenaline and not having played live game action in roughly 3 months. Receiving MVP chants from the home crowd while at the stripe, he checked out of the game with 5 minutes and change to go, and didn't return in what would end up being a 121-117 Spurs win.
Like the greats before him, Williamson made a strong impression in his debut. He got off to a slow start, but finished with a flurry. Rather than endless dunks and athletic plays, his most deadly weapon on the night was his three point shot, something critics said was a weak spot.
What he did on the night was the stuff of legend, the type of stuff that 20 years from now people will remember as the arrival of a superstar player.
He sure looked the part last night.
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