Zion Williamson was 8-of-16 from the free throw line in the Pelicans’ 128-124 loss to the Chicago Bulls Wednesday night.
Williamson coming into the game was shooting 70 percent from the stripe and said after the game that he felt he let his team down with his poor free throw shooting which included two misses that would have narrowed Chicago’s lead to just just two with 1:23 to play in the game.
So after the loss, Williamson went back out on to the court and put up several shots
“I never want to let them down. And all those free throws, it can't go down like that,” Williamson said. “I’ve got to be better in that situation. If I want to be one of those great players, I've got to take a lot of responsibility and I've got to be ready for those moments, so right after the game I just felt like I had to go back on the court, find my flow."
Despite his free throw struggles, Williamson still lead the Pelicans with 28 points and nine rebounds Wednesday night.
Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy applauded Williamson’s accountability but said he’d like to see his team take those same steps after poor defensive performances as well.
“One of our problems is our guys will beat themselves up about missing shots and missing free throws, but the defensive stuff just doesn’t get to them in the same way,” he said. “It doesn’t bother them that we gave up 128 points tonight. It’s not the same thing, so I’m not sure that we’re holding ourselves accountable for the right things.”
