Lost in the shuffle of Saturday’s blowout loss by the Pelicans against the Clippers was that the contest marked the first meeting between high-profile rookie Zion Williamson and Clipper superstar Kawhi Leonard. Though the Pelicans and Los Angeles have faced one another four times on the season after Saturday’s game, Williamson had not yet made his debut in the previous three meetings.
Though Williamson was limited to just 15 minutes with his current burst restriction and Leonard only played 27 minutes in the blowout, the two did match-up a handful of times. After the game, Leonard shared his thoughts on Williamson.
“I thought he played great. He’s a very high energy guy. He’s playing to win. I’m not sure if he’s on a minutes restriction or not. I really didn’t get to see him that much. But I thought he played well. I like guys that approach the game aggressively and bring the high energy on that level.”
Williamson found himself defend Leonard a handful of times on the night and the latter had his way, scoring eight points on 3-of-4 shooting overall and 2-of-2 shooting from deep. On the other end of the court, Williamson scored three points on just one field goal attempt and two free throws against Leonard.
