Zion Williamson is one of the best young talents in the NBA, and many people believe that he can be a top-tier superstar in the future. He is well-known for his elite athleticism and finishing near the rim. Williamson did not play during the 2021-22 season, but during the 2020-21 season, he put up 27.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 3.7 APG for the New Orleans Pelicans.
The New Orleans Pelicans made it to the playoffs last season despite Zion Williamson’s absence. Brandon Ingram showed that he is a true star-caliber player in the process, while CJ McCollum stepped into the veteran leadership role for the team. Many believe that the New Orleans Pelicans could be a special team when Zion Williamson does, in fact return.
In fact, NBA analyst Mike Greenberg has recently claimed that the New Orleans Pelicans could be a top 4 team in the Western Conference if Zion Williamson manages to play 60 games next season.
.@Espngreeny is putting a lot of faith in a healthy Zion Williamson 👀
"[The Pelicans] will be a top four team in the Western Conference if Zion is healthy all year." pic.twitter.com/WIijqfGtVF
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 31, 2022
I could be wrong, but if Zion Williamson plays 60 games this year, and I know this is a huge question mark. His health is always going to be something that hangs over him.
But the combination of your two duke guys, of Zion and Brandon Ingram, I believe that when the playoffs begin this year, they will have home court advantage. They will be a top 4 team in the Western Conference if Zion is healthy all year.
This guy is better than everyone thinks he is, he just never plays. They have as good of a one-two punch as there is in the league.
There’s no doubt that the talent on the New Orleans Pelicans suggests they could be a dangerous team in the Western Conference next season. It is clear that the players are confident in themselves as a unit as well, with Jose Alvarado once claiming that they would be a championship contender when Zion Williamson returns.
When we get him back, we won’t just be a playoff contending team, we’ll be a championship team. I really think that. We got young cats that are ready to go at it. We got BI playing at a high level, JV. We got some guys who are ready to start winning more games.
It remains to be seen how well the New Orleans Pelicans will do next year. Zion Williamson is elite offensively when he does play, and perhaps we could see him and Brandon Ingram lead them to a top-tier seed in the future.
However, the Western Conference is going to be full of competitive teams next year, so perhaps they won’t finish that high. However, the Pelicans should still be a playoff team next season based on their showing without Zion Williamson this year.
