National Basketball Association

Zion Williamson amazes, Lakers stumble: What we saw in NBA's opening week

Updated Mar. 3, 2023 11:21 a.m. ET

The NBA season is only a few days old, and already there has been a massive debut from Zion Williamson, a letdown from the Lakers, a meltdown from the Mavs and some new bling in the Bay.

Our panel of NBA reporters — Ric Bucher, Melissa Rohlin and Yaron Weitzman — tackled what they have seen so far and what they're looking forward to next.

Who had the most noteworthy opening night?

Bucher: It has to be Zion. It had been well over a year since we had seen him play. The vacuum was filled with questions and innuendo about his interest in staying in New Orleans. All that was washed away by how crisp and quick he looked as the Pelicans put everyone on notice by embarrassing the Nets on their home floor (25 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists in a 130-108 win). I’d keep an eye on the chemistry between him and Brandon Ingram — you can see BI pressing to find his shot after stretches of Zion dominating the ball — but this time last year, I was super skeptical about both the Pels and Zion, and now I’m cautiously optimistic about a renaissance for both.

Rohlin: Zion. He was a huge question mark heading into this season. Would he be in shape? Would he fit in with the Pelicans? Would he finally be as dominant as projected? Zion answered those questions in a 25-point performance in 30 minutes. He’s back and he looks good. The question now becomes … Could he actually be a contender for the MVP this season?

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Weitzman: I was going to say Zion, because I was in Brooklyn for that game and watching him pummel the Nets after a year off was, well, impressive. But let’s add some diversity to this list, so how about Ben Simmons’ struggles? It’s never a good sign when you have more fouls than points (six fouls, four points) or when your teammates are feeling the need to give you pep-talks after the first game.

I know he’s still getting his feet under him after missing an entire season, but I still think it’s fair to say that his performance thus far — the fouls combined with the lack of aggressiveness — has been concerning.

What’s the one moment you can’t stop thinking about from the first few games of this NBA season?

Bucher: Ja Morant recovering from a turnover to smack a layup by Jalen Brunson off the backboard and feed Brandon Clarke for an alley-oop dunk at the other end in OT. Second choice: Zion blowing by Ben Simmons for a layup. Captures the return for both of them to action. Third: watching the Lakers go almost three minutes in warm-ups and not make a single 3-pointer. In warm-ups.

Rohlin: The Warriors collecting their championship rings.

The one thing that can smooth over drama is winning. The Warriors know how to win, something they were reminded of before their season opener when they collected their 16-carat yellow diamond stunners. Klay Thompson couldn’t stop smiling. Stephen Curry couldn’t stop roaring. And Draymond Green looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. If there’s any team that can move past the drama, it’s this one.

Steph Curry's Warriors blow out Lakers

Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe react to the Warriors' opening night victory over the Lakers.

Weitzman: It’s a bit random, but there was one play in the fourth quarter of the Pelicans’ opener where Zion drove the ball from the left wing across the lane, tossed up a left-handed floater and missed it long. So what was so impressive? Within what felt like half a second he was back on the other side of the paint grabbing the offensive rebound and then laying the ball up off the glass (watch the play here). Even though he missed that, too — Larry Nance Jr. was able to get the putback and two points — and even though it wasn’t one of his thunderous dunks, to me, it was maybe the most obvious display of just how physical dominant and imposing and different Zion is. He was basically on the other side of the rim before any Nets players had even registered that they should be leaping for the rebound.

Did anything you saw this week already change your mind on any of your preseason predictions?

Bucher: Not from our last roundtable, other than maybe the Lakers are going to be worse than I expected. We didn’t discuss the Knicks — for good reason – but they just might be worth watching.

Rohlin: Yeah, yeah, I know. I said the Lakers would be contenders, which likely prompted this question. To be fair, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook had only played in 21 games together last season. I figured we should give them a real chance. I was wrong. After only two games, I’m putting my tail in between my legs and running as far as I can from this prediction. Things aren’t looking good in LakerLand. Westbrook is as lost as ever. They can’t make a shot from beyond the arc. There’s more drama among this team than there is in Hollywood. Unless GM Rob Pelinka makes some major changes soon, this team could be in real trouble – again.

Weitzman: Yeah, I’m worried about the Nets. Joe Harris and Seth Curry are their only two shooters; both are coming off injuries and are already missing games. And I think they’ve made a mistake punting the center spot because I can’t get past this equation: Any lineup with Ben Simmons at the five is too small and is going to get pummeled in the paint (like the Pelicans did in the opener), and any lineup with Simmons and their other big, Nic Claxton, also a non-shooter, is going to have spacing issues. I don’t know how they solve this.

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What are you most looking forward to in this weekend’s games?

Bucher: Suns-Clippers on Sunday, Raptors-Nets on Friday, Grizzlies-Mavericks on Saturday. In that order. How do the Mavs and Nets respond to disappointing season debuts?

Rohlin: Agree with Ric here. I’m excited to see the Clippers play the Suns. Those are two teams that could go deep in the West. It’ll be interesting to see how they matchup early. Kawhi Leonard is back after missing all of last season because of a partially torn ACL in his right knee. If he stays healthy, the Clippers could be playing in June. As for the Suns, they had an embarrassing flameout in the playoffs last season in the form of a 33-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of their second round series. They’re going to want to start this season off strong.

Weitzman: I want to see how Nikola Jokic looks on defense against the Warriors’ five-out offense (the Nuggets and Dubs play Friday night). Also, the Lakers and Sixers, both of whom have dropped their first two games, each have their first "this should be a win" matchup of the season. The Sixers host the Spurs on Saturday, the Lakers welcome the Trail Blazers on Sunday. If either of these teams lose I think we can all agree that Monday’s debate shows will be fun.

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Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He previously wrote for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, "Rebound," on NBA forward Brian Grant’s battle with young onset Parkinson’s, and "Yao: A Life In Two Worlds." He also has a daily podcast, "On The Ball with Ric Bucher." Follow him on Twitter @RicBucher.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of "Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports." Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.