The New Orleans Pelicans sensational forward Zion Williamson is a natural NBA showman — and his exuberant style makes him electric to watch on the basketball court. But there’s a downside to the “showtime” tendencies of today’s gravity-defying NBA stars like Williamson and Ja Morant, the Grizzlies high-flying point guard.
These dynamic sky-walkers put themselves at risk with nearly every aerial assault on the basket. Watch below as Williamson pulls the ball way behind his head for a tomahawk dunk, rather than just “quick dunking” it, as the announcer says.
Zion took a hard fall on this play.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 24, 2022
He went back to the bench a few plays later. pic.twitter.com/nyrx1qnTrK
That extra flair puts Williamson at risk — not only for getting blocked and regurgitating a sure two points — but at risk for injury, too. Which is just what happened.
It’s a dilemma: while the Pelicans sell a lot of tickets because of Williamson’s showmanship, they also need him on the court — the play above resulted in Williamson leaving the game with a hip contusion. After this latest injury, Williamson, who missed all last season with an injury, will likely be encouraged by some to try to tame his instincts and opt for the more efficient play, rather than the exuberant.
But don’t bet on it working out that way. On the flip side, there also is a school of thought that maintains that players who backseat their instincts are even more vulnerable to injury.
Ja Morant tends to fly through the lane, too. Here (below) he’s at risk because of a bad actor on defense (whereas the Williamson block by Jordan Clarkson was clean). But it’s another example to demonstrate how these great players are very frequently in dangerous positions in the air.
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