In year five, Zion Williamson feels he still isn’t getting a ‘star’ whistle. Officiating has been a major point of contention across the NBA this season. For the Pelicans, the question is simple. Why isn’t a physical force like Zion drawing more fouls?
Statistically, Williamson’s foul numbers are down this season. His free throw attempts per game (6.6) and free throw rate (43.6%) are career lows. What gives? Is it true that Williamson isn’t getting his fair share of foul calls?
To some extent, defenders are getting away with extreme physicality with Williamson. He drives with intensity and strength and there are plenty of instances where defenders get away with extreme contact. Even on some 50/50 calls, it’s easy to argue that other stars would receive a different whistle.
However, Zion shies away from contact more than he ever has this year, which explains some of the free-throw decline. The numbers support this idea — Williamson is attempting a career-low percentage of his shots in the restricted area (57%) and a career-high percentage of his shots from 3-10 feet (38.2%). His efficiency isn’t stellar on these farther shots, shooting under 40% from floater range.
Take this drive from the Pacers game for example:
There’s a bit of contact here (despite Zion initiating the bump) and some stars may have received a call here. But Williamson is fading away from contact, jumping from outside the restricted area and fading away to his left. It’s hard to consistently draw fouls when moving away from the basket as Zion has been doing this season.
Defenses are beginning to adjust to this tendency; the Knicks played Williamson one-on-one, backing up with their hands sky-high to remain vertical. Instead of challenging them at the rim, Zion forced tough shots too far away from the bucket.
To a point, complaining about calls is futile. How refs ultimately decide to officiate the game is out of the Pelicans’ control. Williamson can control his shot distance and take more shots in the restricted area. Picking the ball up later in his drives is a simple fix that could play big dividends. When Zion pounds the ball down into the paint and imposes his will, he’s nearly impossible to stop. Increasing his focus on barging downhill could lead to a natural increase in free-throw attempts over the course of the season.
Analysis by Ben Pfeifer
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