New Orleans Pelicans are talented enough to win games without Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson is expected to miss 6-8 weeks after undergoing knee surgery, but all isn’t lost for the New Orleans Pelicans

With the 2019-20 NBA season set to start tonight, the Zion Williamson hype will have to wait for two months. The No. 1 overall pick from this summer’s draft tore his lateral meniscus last week, halting his regular-season NBA debut until December.

This is disappointing for the New Orleans Pelicans and the league. Williamson looked very good during the preseason, averaging 23.3 points, 6.5 boards, and 2.3 assists per contest. The rookie forward also shot an impressive 71 percent from the field. The Pelicans are without a doubt disappointed to see their young phenom miss time already, along with the NBA.

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding Zion, and everyone around the association from other players to fans of the game has been anticipating his debut as NOLA takes on the Raptors on opening night without Williamson.

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The Pelicans made substantial moves in the offseason as everyone knows to strengthen their organization, but Williamson was definitely the No. 1 factor that makes people in New Orleans believe this team can be a contender in the Western Conference this year. However, his long-term health is what’s most important as the franchise player in NOLA and arguably the next star in the NBA.

This team still has a lot of talent especially after acquiring guys like Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, and new draftee Jaxson Hayes, who the Pels picked up out of the University of Texas this past summer. Bringing in veteran Derrick Favors from Utah in the offseason will also be a huge plus, giving Alvin Gentry’s team a solid big man who can contribute on both ends of the floor.

The injury to Zion will definitely sting for the Pelicans, but I don’t believe it will deteriorate their chances of making the playoffs. Sure, he’s going to miss quite a big chunk of games, but they still have a lot of talented players who can score quite consistently led by veteran guard Jrue Holiday.

The Pels will manage

Zion is a game-changing talent, there is no questioning it. But along with Williamson, the New Orleans front office made enough intriguing moves in order to make this team a lot more talented than they’ve been in past years. Sure, they had Anthony Davis before. But this core of talent they currently have didn’t exist around AD when he was in a Pelicans uniform.

They’ve added a nice mix of young and veteran talent. Bringing in J.J. Redick from the 76ers was a huge move, adding one of the best three-point shooters the game has ever seen while giving this team a lot of experience and leadership. There’s a lot of skill throughout this roster that goes a lot deeper than just Zion.

Yes, he’s an extremely special talent and the type of player who can change a game in an instant. But in order for this team to make the playoffs in a competitive Western Conference, it’s going to take a lot more than just Williamson doing his part.

This organization is built for success. Besides Williamson, rookies Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaxson Hayes should add some excitement to the Pelicans both offensively and defensively along with the three ex-Lakers they’ve shipped in from the AD trade. Lonzo Ball never really got it going in LA, but he’s an excellent playmaker and has the ability to be a productive scorer. Ingram has great length and can contribute on both ends. Hart had a decent campaign last season with the Lakers and can add some scoring depth off the bench.

With Holiday back at the helm for NOLA, he’ll once again be relied on to be one of their primary scoring outlets along with facilitating the ball at a high level like he’s always done in past years.

Jahlil Okafor is another player who can eat up minutes at the center position and has proven to be an efficient big man in the paint. This team is quite young, there’s no sugarcoating it. But they also have numerous guys who have ample NBA experience which is definitely going to help. Redick looks like he will replace Williamson for the time being and should be able to put up some solid numbers in his 14th NBA season.

Zion’s absence will definitely be felt, but they have enough players on this roster who can score consistently and play defense. Once their phenom is back, hopefully, they’re around the .500 mark or even better which will substantially help them make a playoff appearance by the season’s end.