3 keys to preseason-opening victory over Hawks

Welcome to the NBA, Zion Williamson.

Just a couple minutes later, Lonzo Ball found Williamson on the fast-break and the Duke-product did what he does best, flushing it home with two hands.

While much of the attention was on the No. 1 overall pick starting for the New Orleans Pelicans, Atlanta Hawks rookie Cam Reddish made his preseason debut after a season recovering from core muscle surgery. Afterward, the cameras picked up Williamson signing autographs and his interaction with one young fan, in particular, hit social media right in the feels Monday night. He missed both and if he is going to get away with being a 6-6 big man in the National Basketball Association, he'll need to have a semblance of a 3-point shot.

Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins (20) drives to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans guard Josh Hart (3) during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 in Atlanta.

Williamson exploded onto a pass from outside the three-point line, before accelerating into the paint past three Atlanta defenders.

"I didn't expect that many people to come", Williamson said.

"They shouldn't do that (comparison between Zion and LeBron)".

He continued: "I know that it's inevitable that that's going to be the case, but we are not drinking that Kool-Aid".

The Hawks piled up a gargantuan amount of turnovers on the way to losing by 24 points, 133 to 109.

After taking a 34-29 lead after the first quarter, the Pelicans blew the game open with a 46-point second quarter and never looked back, leading by as many as 29 points.