LAS VEGAS – Anytime two stars as prominent as Zion Williamson and LeBron James share the court, it’s going to be a big deal. But having them play under the bright lights in Vegas with a trip to the In-Season Tournament final gave this matchup a different level of magnitude. Many NBA fans were anticipating Williamson’s response to being front and center for this historic moment, and there’s no other way to describe his play than utterly disappointing.
It wasn’t just a regular lousy night when his shots weren’t falling or he was out of rhythm because of foul trouble. There’s a difference between not impactful and uninvolved. He was a non-factor the entire time he was on the court.
He finished with 13 points and two rebounds in 26 minutes. He had the same number of assists (three) as turnovers and went 1 of 6 at the free-throw line.
While the atmosphere and the pressure seemed to make LeBron stronger, they seemed to weigh on Zion with every trip up the floor.
What made this even more disturbing is that this letdown came just a few nights after a similarly lifeless performance against the Kings on Monday, when he finished with 10 points and six assists in 28 minutes.
This marked just the second time in Williamson’s career he’s had consecutive games with fewer than 15 points. The last time was when he was on a strict minutes restriction at the start of the NBA bubble.
“I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to be more aggressive finding my shot. I’ve got to do more things to get my team going,” Williamson said. “I think I was too laid back tonight. I can’t do that. Defensively, I’ve got to be better.”