Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle is impressed with New Orleans Pelicans phenom Zion Williamson and shared his praise following his dominant performance on Saturday night as the Pelicans defeated the Mavericks.
Williamson dominated, proving just how unstoppable he can be, pouring in 38 points and knocking down 18 free throws in the 112-103 victory. Williamson became the eighth player in the shot clock era (since 1954-1955) to score at least 75 points, grab 10 rebounds and notch 10 assists while also shooting over 70% from the field over a two-game span, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“He’s an unusual force and obviously a great player,” Carlisle said after the game, according to ESPN’s Andrew Lopez. “We’ll have to figure something a little better out next time, but he’s doing this to everybody. We did have some very good possessions guarding him, but he was a beast.
“It presents huge challenges for the defense and for officials. He is just creating collisions out there. This is a Shaquille O’Neal-type force of nature with a point guard skill set.”
Williamson picked up where he left off on Friday night as he collected a career-high 39 points in the loss against the Denver Nuggets.
“I want to make the best play that’s going to help us win,” Williamson said. “Sometimes, that’s knowing when to shoot it and when not to shoot it. When to make the pass and when not to make the pass. I just want to win. It’s as simple as that.”
“You’ve got to have a lot of courage to stand in there and get run over by that guy, because he’s coming at you fast,” Carlisle said. “He’s coming at you, like, it’s not just an Amtrak. It’s an Acela. It’s the fast one that doesn’t stop. It doesn’t stop in Westport or wherever. It just goes — phew! — straight to New York City. It’s something else.”
