Few players can relate to the amount of hype and attention Zion Williamson has received in his first week of action in the league. Fortunately for the rookie big man, one of those players is the Pelicans starting point guard in Lonzo Ball.
The hype of Ball was unmatched at times, perhaps highlighted most by the Summer League in Las Vegas prior to his rookie season. Williamson’s first week of action concluded on Wednesday with the Pelicans’ win over the Cavaliers and Ball was asked post-game his thoughts on how the No. 1 pick is handling the hype.
“Zion is Zion. Everybody wants to see him. That’s just part of being the No. 1 pick. I think he’s handling it well and he’s going to continue to handle it well.”
The hype surrounding Williamson can best be seen in the TV ratings of his debut game against the Spurs on ESPN. The contest averaged 2.36 million viewers and peaked at 2.8 million. For context, the average viewership for ESPN games this season has been 1.48 million viewers.
While it doesn’t compare to the most-watched game of the year for ESPN in the Christmas showdown between the Lakers and Clippers which saw 8.8 million viewers tune in, it does still show how big of a draw Williamson has been.
Between Ball and Williamson, the Pelicans have two of the most popular young players in the league and are set to become one of the more popular teams in the league in the coming years.
