There may not be another NBA team whose fortunes rest more heavily onm the shoulders of one player than the New Orleans Pelicans.
Star power forward Zion Williamson is entering his fifth NBA season but has played just over 100 games since he was selected at the top of the 2019 NBA Draft.
Accordingly, the Pelicans have had only one season with more wins than losses since Zion entered the league.
However, in a new interview, Williamson has revealed his optimism entering the 2023/24 NBA season — in part because he considers himself part of a Big Three in the Big Easy.
“It was just like…boom”
The Pelicans acquired star swingman Brandon Ingram from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019 and added Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum in a multi-player deal three years later.
Various injuries have prevented the duo from playing with Zion — but if all three enter the new season healthy, Williamson believes they could be special.
You got CJ McCollum, and you got Brandon Ingram, then you got myself. The first day of training camp (last year) was the first time all three of us stepped on the court together,” Williamson said. “As the scrimmage went on, it was just like…boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
Despite having a winning record last year at 42-40, New Orleans was unable to return to the playoffs.
Ingram and Williamson combined to play only 74 games during the 2022/23 season — one less than McCollum himself played.
All three players averaged over 20 points per game, showcasing the scoring variety the Pelicans can have if the trio is available — all backed up by a top-10 defense.
Zion putting in the work
Williamson appears to have lost a significant amount of weight this summer and replaced it with muscle. Finally recovered from a hamstring injury that cost him most of 2023, Zion could now be in a position to contribute at the All-Star level he flashed in 2020 and 2021.
Williamson is entering the first season of a five-year contract due to pay him nearly $200 million. New Orleans executive David Griffin still believes in the 23-year-old as the face of the Pelicans franchise, and fans around the NBA are hoping to see the best of the former Duke Blue Devil starting this autumn.
Source link