The 2019-20 NBA preseason technically began last week when the Houston Rockets destroyed the Shanghai Sharks by 69 points, but things really got started on Monday night when Zion Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick, made his debut. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals, as well as a number of show-stopping plays in the Pelicans‘ 133-109 victory over the Hawks. 

But even though he was the main attraction, there was plenty to check out in this game, including Lonzo Ball’s debut with the Pelicans, a number of other top rookies and the return of Trae Young’s showmanship. Here are five key takeaways from an exciting night of basketball. 

Zion excelling in space

Williamson was electric in his one season at Duke, but one problem he would run into was spacing. Opponents clogged the paint and sent multiple defenders at him because Duke didn’t have the shooters to space the floor, and even with all of their talent, teams were still content to make other players beat them. In the NBA, that won’t happen as much, and as we saw on Monday night, Williamson is going to reap the benefits. 

Whether it was in transition, or out of halfcourt motion offense such as pick-and-rolls or dribble handoffs, the Pelicans made sure to get Williamson the ball in space and with downhill momentum. Once he has those advantages, he’s an absolute menace. He threw down a number of high-flying jams, but his best move was actually a layup late in the first half, where he showed incredible athleticism to avoid Alex Len. He’s going to be a handful for defenders from Game One. 

Some up, some down in other areas of Williamson’s game

There was never a doubt about whether Williamson would be able to score; with his athleticism and finishing ability he’s going to get some buckets. But of course scoring inside isn’t everything, and to be a true star he’ll have to impact the game in other ways. Pretty much everyone believes he can, but it will still be interesting to see how the other aspects of his game develop. Here’s a quick rundown of how things looked in his first game. 

Playmaking: Up

• Williamson is often looking to score when he has the ball, but he’s a pretty solid playmaker. He only averaged 2.1 assists per game in college, but he has a good feel for the game and can make some really special passes. 

Free throw shooting: Even

• With his downhill style and physicality, Williamson is going to shoot a whole lot of free throws. Whether he can make enough of them, however, is another question. He shot 64 percent in college, which obviously isn’t great, and teams could make him start earning his points at the line if he struggles. His first game was solid, though, as he went 4-of-7.

Outside shooting: Down

• One way that Williamson will be able to make things much easier for himself in all aspects on offense is if he can knock down some outside shots. He shot 33.8 percent in college, which is respectable, but only took two attempts per game. Against the Hawks, he definitely showed he has room for improvement; he only took two attempts and both were pretty bad bricks. 

Rebounding: Up

• The new official height measurement system listed Williamson at just 6-6, but even if he’s a bit undersized for the frontcourt, he’s going to be a phenomenal rebounder. He has the strength and athleticism, but also the desire to crash the glass. 

Defense: Down

• Defense is perhaps the most difficult aspect of the game to adjust to at the NBA level, and even though he had three steals, there’s no question that Williamson has some work to do in this department — especially off the ball. Whether it was miscommunications with his new teammates or not being ready for the speed of the game, he made some sloppy mistakes on this end. 

Lonzo’s improved shot seems real

There was a big stir last week when a video emerged out of Pelicans training camp showing Lonzo Ball’s reworked jumper. For all his talent, Ball has had a lot of trouble shooting the ball since entering the league, and a big reason why was his bizarre form. Even though he’s right-handed, he would yank the ball over to the left side of his body before letting the shot go. For his career, he’s made just 31.5 percent of his 3-point attempts. 

But in the aforementioned video, his shot looked much more orthodox and compact. Of course, it’s one thing to maintain those changes in a shooting drill with no defenders; it’s another to do so in live action. The early returns, however, suggest that Ball’s new shot is for real. It looks much better, and he had some success as well, going 3-of-8 from downtown. 

Trae Young is back

While much of the interest surrounding this game was about seeing new players in new places, we already knew that Trae Young is one of the most fun players in the league. Still, it was a joy to be able to watch him play basketball again. His willingness to try ridiculous shots, passes and dribbling moves is perhaps unmatched in the league. Because of that, he makes his fair share of mistakes, but he also produces some magnificent highlights. 

He had some really special passes in this game, but there’s no question that his best play came early in the second quarter. After chasing down a loose ball, he nutmegged JJ Redick. leaving the veteran swiping at air as he made his way down the court for an easy layup. 

Other rookies debut too

While this game was all about Williamson, he was not the only top rookie playing his first game. There were four other first-round picks playing in this game, two on each side. For the Hawks, it was De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish — who also played at Duke — and alongside Williamson were Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Hayes barely got into the game, playing just a few minutes, but the other three all had solid performances. Hunter and Reddish each showed off some strong outside shooting, combining for five 3s and 21 points. Alexander-Walker, showed off some nice scoring instincts as well, going for 12 points of his own.