Rather, the 22-year-old Williamson portrayed his enhanced physical well-being, mental focus and sense of purpose to their highest levels yet.
“The best way to describe it is that I found true resolution through the game of basketball,” Williamson said Monday as he spoke about his two-month training stint in South Florida this summer, having signed his contract extension. for five years and $193 million. .
“Something mentally in me changed, changed. And the basketball game, that’s it for me. That’s my love. That’s what I want to do,” Williamson continued. “I’m excited to get out there and show the world what I can do.”
Pelicans players were dressed in their home white jerseys as they participated in promotional photos, videos and interviews for the club’s media day. Williamson, who is 6-foot-6 and 284 pounds, looked fit and humorous as he interacted with team personnel, photographers and reporters inside the Smoothie King Center, the club’s home arena.
“He looks great. His mindset is great,” veteran forward Larry Nance Jr. said. training”.
Williamson mentioned Nance as one of the veterans he leaned into for guidance on how to approach staying healthy. Nance said he basically told Williamson that Lamborghini drivers don’t fill up on cheap gas and that he should treat his body the same way.
“I feel like I’m at my best right now, moving faster, jumping higher. I just feel great,” said Williamson,
“It’s one of those feelings where I’m in the gym…and I’m like, ‘Oh man! I can really do that! That’s different,’” Williamson said. “I learned a lot from a nutrition standpoint, from an exercise standpoint, how long I should be in the gym and the most efficient way to exercise.”
A lot has changed since last winter, when Williamson was off the team, rehabbing his foot on his own in Oregon, as the Pelicans tried to salvage a season in which they had gotten off to a 1-12 start in the first year. Coach Willie Green.
It wasn’t clear whether Williamson or the Pelicans envisioned a long-term future together, with no promise of an extension.
But the Pelicans acquired veteran shooting guard CJ McCollum shortly before last season’s trade deadline, and he helped forward Brandon Ingram and center Jonas Valanciunas lead a roster of energetic young players to the playoffs.
Now, Williamson is contractually tied to New Orleans for the long haul, and the Pelicans are eager to see how much more of a contender he can turn them into.
“We talked during the playoffs about what he could have been if he was healthy,” guard Garrett Temple said. “So now we have that opportunity and we are ready to attack it.”
Although Williamson has played in just 85 games, he has averaged 25.7 points and seven rebounds. And he was an All-Star in his second season, when he appeared in 61 games and averaged 27 points.
But he has yet to play Green or alongside McCollum, Valanciunas or second-year pro Herb Jones, who emerged as a starter last season because of his solid defensive play.
“You add a guy like Z and you have to change some things in terms of how you play,” McCollum said. “It takes time to develop basketball chemistry. We can kick it and go to dinner, but now we have to figure out how to make it work on the pitch, and I think we will.
“He is a force to be reckoned with. I think his production speaks volumes for how consistent he’s been when he plays,” McCollum added. “His input and impact on the game will be felt every night and should make the game easier for all of us. I think that’s what great players do.”
Notes: David Griffin, the Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations, said guard Kira Lewis Jr., the club’s 2020 first-round draft pick, has made significant progress in his recovery from reconstructive surgery for the right knee last season, but still isn’t. ready to work five against five at full speed.
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