New Orleans Pelicans: Can Zion Williamson still become the face of the NBA?

After such a rocky start to his NBA career, can Zion Williamson still become the face of the league? 

Zion Williamson was projected to be the most anticipated superstar since the arrival of LeBron James in 2003. His strength and athleticism rock the crowd every time he makes a play and he is known as box office talent. As Williamson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, his injury history has allowed his momentum to drop as the projected future face of the NBA.

Zion’s freshman season at Duke allowed fans and insiders to be optimistic about what he had to offer to the NBA. The kid was by far the biggest player during the 2018-19 season as the Cameron Indoor Stadium sold out almost every game. Zion had the body that was capable of playing physically in the NBA. It was just a matter of time before he got to take his opportunity.

In his first two seasons in the NBA, Zion produced in the limited time he was available. Once he made his debut in January 2020, there was an argument that Williamson surpassed Ja Morant for the Rookie of The Year award.

In his sophomore season, Zion capitalized off his rookie year with an all-star season, averaging 27 points per game on 61 percent shooting. With that type of season, many would believe that Zion is by far the best player out of his younger peers.

Unfortunately, to many, Zion has been an afterthought. It isn’t because of his ability to dominate. It is because of his limited time on the floor and lack of condition. Through two seasons, Zion has only played a total of 85 games out of 144. He’s had multiple injuries that have kept him off the floor and they continue to pile up.

Also, Zion has shown to be out of shape and not in the condition to compete with his team. While Zion has not been on the floor for the New Orleans Pelicans, other young stars in Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and others have continued to make their way as all-star caliber players. With these guys starting the season on a tear, it leaves many questions for Zion going forward.

Is Zion still capable of living up to his expectations? Despite being overweight and being injury prone, the kid is an elite talent who can produce in many ways. The goal for him now is to take things one day at a time and get healthy so that he can play again. As long as he keeps himself focused and grounded, Zion can make his comeback very soon. But as of right now, many aren’t impressed with what they are seeing right now.

Despite everything that Zion is facing, he is still 21 years of age with a lot of development time. Can he get himself in the best shape possible to keep his name in conversations as one of the top rising stars? Many understand the maximum effort Zion brings to the floor. Now all he has to do is dedicate his time to becoming the best version of himself when he makes his return for the Pelicans.