Zion Williamson is one of the league’s brightest young talents and healthy to start the season. Despite that, Zion isn’t looking like the kind of player who could make All-Star teams on the strength of two months of play anymore. He openly discussed playing a different role and buying into what the team needs while visibly frustrated after the Pelicans lost to the Mavericks.
“Last year, we had a team meeting. We brought up some things that I can do better, especially with buying into the program. Right now, it’s tough. I’m taking a little bit of a back seat right now. I’m trusting the process. I’m trying my best to buy in right now.”
"I'm trying my best to buy in right now."
– Zion 😬
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 13, 2023
Zion is averaging 21.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists this season. He looks displeased with his role in the Pelicans offense, especially with C.J. McCollum out injured. We’re not seeing the encouraging point forward play we saw Zion bust out during his time with Stan Van Gundy, either running center in small lineups or playing in his regular power forward role.
The Pelicans and Zion have had a rough time together with disagreements on injury treatment and severity in recent seasons and a possible new problem emerging with his role on the team.
Can Zion Williamson Still Be The No. 1 Option On A Title Team?
Even with the constant injuries since his rookie season, Zion has shown his talent in enough flashes to be a two-time All-Star and regarded as one of the best young prospects in the NBA. Until this season, we argued that when Zion is healthy and available, he looks like a superstar and leads the Pels to be a contender. We can’t say that this season, with the Pels currently sitting 10th in the West with a 4-6 record.
The Pelicans have done everything they can to build around him, drafting guards in consecutive years with Dyson Daniels and Jordan Hawkins after hitting on forwards through the Draft like Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III. But the injuries to Murphy and C.J. have slowed the Pelicans down massively, with the team needing a reset mid-season.
Changing coaches is not an option since the team is already on their third coach of the Williamson era. This means an adjustment that features Zion more in the offense is the key. He’s been turnover-prone and not converting shots at the nearly 60% clip we are accustomed to, so it’ll be a risk for the Pelicans to even feature Zion at this point.
Could A Split Be On The Cards?
The relationship between Zion and the Pelicans has been a strained one, no matter how many times David Griffin tries to downplay it. The team hasn’t been fans of Zion’s commitment to the game, though the forward has made earnest steps to address that. Taking this offseason seriously was a positive step forward but being unhappy about buying in and looking lost in a less-featured role isn’t a good thing.
Zion is locked up for the long term, so the Pels aren’t in a rush to figure out what needs to be done. But with the health setbacks that cause him, McCollum, and Brandon Ingram to miss time shows they may be in a cycle of waiting for their team to get healthy.
Ingram seems to have plateaued in his role as a high-volume scorer who can playmaker but will not be the No. 1 option on a winning team. These concerns could lead to a rebuild in New Orleans, as the Pelicans could find another team that believes in Zion enough to give up a haul of assets to acquire him.
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