Adams impresses Pelicans star Williamson

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson had heard the rumours, seen the clips and even played against him once. But of course you never really know for sure until a guy is alongside you in the same team.

It is fair to say that after his first day of training with his new starting centre, and New Zealand’s finest basketballer, Steven Adams, that Williamson now has a pretty good idea what he’s in store for these next few years as this young Pelicans roster looks to take the step up to become a genuine contender in the NBA’S West.

Adams was the chief offseason pickup for the Pelicans who made their big move in trading standout guard Jrue Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks – a transaction that yielded them both Adams and combo guard Eric Bledsoe in return.

Now Adams is preparing to play his first NBA season – his eighth in the league – for a team not named the Oklahoma City

Thunder. And there is plenty of excitement in the Big Easy around the qualities the 27-yearold Kiwi enforcer can bring to a squad very much building around its young superstars Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

‘‘Like ya’all said, Steven is strong,’’ Williamson toldmedia in New Orleans after the Pelicans’ first day of training camp under new coach Stan Van Gundy.

‘‘I thought I was strong, but seeing it up close, on the same team now, it’s crazy. Steven is really strong and he’s a great basketball player.’’

Williamson, at 1.98m and 128kg, is no shrinking violet himself and Van Gundy has already talked with some anticipation about the prospect of sending out a starting frontline of Adams and the overall 2019 No 1 draft pick to face opponents.

‘‘Find me a 4 and 5 together anywhere in the league as physical as those two guys,’’ said Van Gundy before the start of training camp. ‘‘When we made that trade I said one thing I know for sure is that you may come in here and shoot the ball great, you may find a way to beat us, but you’re not punkin’ the New Orleans Pelicans ever with those two guys next to each other.’’

The Pelicans’ season tips off on December 24 (NZ time) at Toronto.

‘‘I thought I was strong, but seeing it up close, on the same team now, it’s crazy. Steven [Adams] is really strong and he’s a great basketball player.’’

New Orleans Pelicans star Zionwilliamson