New Orleans Pelicans: 3 players to watch heading into 2019-20

Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson is the probably most-hyped rookie to hit the league since LeBron James. The 19-year-man-child out of Duke is the complete package, drawing many comparisons to James for his ability to handle the ball and see the court. Like James, he’s a physical marvel. His biggest deficiency is his jump shot, but he’s a hard worker and will be driven to improve his outside shot.

At 6-foot-7 and about 280 pounds, he is already one of the biggest players in the NBA. Some pundits, like TNT’s Charles Barkley, says Williamson needs to lose weight.

In his one season at Duke, Williamson averaged 22 points, nine rebounds, and two assists per game, but he is just scratching the surface of what he can do. We got a very small glimpse in the summer league, where he scored 11 points in the nine minutes before he was taken out with a knee injury. It was nothing serious, he bumped knees with someone, but GM David Griffin was taking no chances with his prize rookie and shelved him for the rest of the summer.

Williamson is expected to start the season at the power forward slot, alongside Derrick Favors, who was signed in the offseason from Utah, and Brandon Ingram.

How big an impact will Williamson have? Will he immediately transform the franchise like Larry Bird, Tim Duncan and James did? (The Cavs only won 35 games in James rookie year, but they had won 17 the year before). Or will it take a few years for him to turn the Pelicans fortunes around?

Both Bird and Duncan were a few years older as rookies and played four years in college. James, of course, came on right out of high school and took the league by storm, but James is one of the greatest 10 players in NBA history. Will Zion’s impact match the hype?