If Zion had been a No. 1 pick in the '90s, he probably wouldn't have been this well-behaved.
Just think back to how those rookies in the '90s treated Jordan.
In his rookie season, Reggie Miller had dared to openly challenge Jordan, telling him to his face, "Michael, who do you think you are? The great Basketball God? Well, a new big brother is here now."
Mutombo, the "African Mountain" whose real age no one knew, had also provoked Jordan during his rookie season. "Can you shoot free throws with your eyes closed?"
Of course, neither of them was as brave as Artest.
As a rookie, after Jordan's trash talk had practically driven him into silence during practice, Artest simply broke Jordan's rib with an elbow... It had to be said that Artest had already displayed the temperament of a "boxing king" back then.
Fortunately, the internet wasn't very developed in those days, and information didn't travel as freely. Otherwise, Artest would definitely have been flamed half to death by the fans.
That was what rookies in the '90s were like. Even when facing the strongest man in the league, they wouldn't be afraid.
But now, times had changed.
People had been hoping Zion Williamson and Link would create some sparks, but unfortunately, both men remained perfectly polite before the game.
"Zion is a very talented player, and his performances have already proven everything. But basketball is a team sport. I don't want to evaluate any individual player on the other side alone." Before the Grizzlies' game against the Pelicans on January 20, Link gave that assessment of the new No. 1 pick in an interview.
Clearly, Link's answer fell far short of what the fans had expected. They all wanted Link to stir something up, but picking fights wasn't