Zion Williamson is one of those guys that every time you look at him on a physical level you can’t believe he’s real. He’s insanely fast, can jump out of the gym, and has a level of powerful athleticism that few possess. So when he goes up against guys, even in the NBA, he’s usually the one dominating them, not the other way around.
That was until he came in for group practices with the Pelicans and discovered just how incredibly strong his new teammate Steven Adams is. Adams does not let other bigs dominate him. He uses a mix of strength and savviness to force anyone going up against him to work for every basket and fight through every screen. It’s like going up against a moving brick wall.
On Sunday, following practice, Williamson spoke to the media and spoke about how absurdly strong Adams is.
“Steven is STRONG. I thought I was strong”
pic.twitter.com/8ovDFLmF5P
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 6, 2020
“I thought I was strong, Seeing it up close, on the same team now, and it’s crazy. Steven is really strong and he’s a great basketball player”
It’s funny to hear Williamson speaking about how strong Adams is because it’s not exactly a secret in the NBA. Everyone knows how powerful he is, but it’s also one of those experiences where you don’t really understand it until you go up against him — Jimmy Butler famously discussed how he thought he was going to die when he ran into an Adams screen once. It’s one thing to see video of a guy like Adams shoving someone off the block, but it’s another to be the one being shoved. Especially when you’re a guy like Williamson that is so used to dominating everyone he goes up against.
It’s safe to say that Williamson is happy to have Adams playing with him, not against him, this season.