Kevin Durant looks forward to seeing Zion Williamson return to the league and thinks there hasn't been any player like him.
The 2022-23 NBA season starts tonight with two matchups between four of the premier teams in the league. Brooklyn Nets and Kevin Durant's season starts Wednesday night with a home matchup against New Orleans Pelicans.
Talking about the upcoming game, the superstar forward wanted to direct attention to Zion Williamson.
"[He's] somebody that can put up points pretty fast. It's a matchup problem for a lot of people, so we got our work cut out [with] him," he told after a practice. "Then, you got two other scorers behind him [in Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum] that can score from all levels. So we got our work cut out for us, but it's going to be exciting times when guys get healthy, especially the marquee guys in this league."
Zion Williamson
| Team: |
New Orleans Pelicans |
| Position: | SF, PF |
| Age: | 22 |
| Height: | 201 cm |
| Weight: | 129 kg |
| Birth place: | North Carolina, United States of America |
Asked to expand his answer about Williamson and his comeback after missing the entire 2021-22 NBA season due to injury, Durant praised the young star.
"You've seen guys at that size, 6-7, that can get up and down the floor and move, but not at that level, though," the Nets forward said. "You've seen guys like Jason Maxiell, I'm not saying they jump as high as Zion, but they were undersized guys that played bigger. And Zion's one of those guys."
"I'm missing so many guys that were that tall at 6-6, Charles Barkley bruiser-type guys but played bigger. But Zion's athleticism trumps all of theirs by far," Durant explained. "And when you add that to the mix, it makes him a one-of-one."
Before missing last year due to foot injury, Zion averaged 27 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game for the Pelicans in the 2020-21 season.
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