Zion Williamson is approaching a return; will anything change for the Pelicans?

Zion Williamson is nearing a return to the New Orleans Pelicans lineup. 

Through the first quarter of the NBA season, the New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the most disappointing teams in the league. They’re 5-16 and have one of the worst offenses and defenses in the league. There isn’t much sign of anything changing, unless, of course, Zion Williamson is able to drastically turn things around.

Zion has yet made his debut this season but is nearing a return to the Pelicans after recovering from offseason surgery. He has been cleared for full team activities, but the Pelicans have still not given an exact timeline on a potential return.

At least on the surface, this is great news. When Zion plays, the Pelicans are a much better team. That’s not exactly a surprising revelation. Who would’ve guessed that the Pelicans would be a better team when one of the most physically dominant players of the past two seasons plays.

New Orleans is 40-45 when Zion plays and 21-38 when he’s sidelined.

The big question, of course, is what kind of Zion we’ll see when he makes his return and what impact it will have on the team.

As we’ve seen in the past, the “return of Zion” doesn’t always mean the “return of Zion.” Any potential return will likely involve complicated minute restrictions and some time for him to not only get into game shape – no, that’s not a knock on his recent issues – but to also get back into basketball rhythm.

Then, there’s the whole task of digging the Pelicans out of the early-season hole that they’ve put themselves in. Zion doesn’t have to elevate the Pelicans slightly, he has to ignite this team if they will have any attempt to fight their way back into the playoff picture over the last three-quarters of the season.

It’s absolutely good news that Zion is set to make his return to the Pelicans lineup. Though, it’s hard to believe that anything will significantly change for the team right now.