The ‘math game’ behind Zion Williamson off the bench against the Mavericks

ByNBAUSA


Zion Williamson, December 14returned to New Orleans Pelicans lineup early after initially being projected to miss more time with an adductor injury. Williamson, however, returned to an unfamiliar role off the Pelicans’ bench — with an interim head coach James Borrego decided to keep Sadiq Bey, who was good for New Orleans, in the starting lineup.

Suffice to say, this decision by the Pelicans head coach is paying dividends. New Orleans has won five games in a row for the first time in 2023 after securing a 119-113 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, and Williamson is coming off the bench – scoring a team-high 24 points on 10-14 shooting from the field in just 25 minutes of action.

With Williamson still working his way back to full swing after missing time earlier in the season with multiple injuries, the Pelicans’ head coach noted that they want to get the best out of the high-flying lefty in every minute he plays — calling it “mathematical game”.

“The goal was to maximize his minutes. It’s a math game … I knew he was going to respond well, but for him to approach it this way in a mature, team-first mentality, he deserves credit,” Borrego said via the Pelicans Film Room on X (formerly Twitter).

Pelicans click

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson celebrates
© Stephen Lev-Imagn Images

It was always going to take some time given how young the roster is, but the Pelicans have figured something out over the past few weeks. Williamson and Jordan Poole form a formidable duo off the bench, freeing up Derrick Quinn, Trey Murphy and Jeremy Fiers to do their jobs in the starting lineup.

The Queen’s appearance in an incredible playmaking center made everything much easier for Williamson and the Pelicans. Losing that 2026 first-round pick still hurts, but it doesn’t seem as damaging as many thought when New Orleans got off to such a poor start to the 2025-26 campaign.





2025-12-23 04:56:00

Similar Posts