Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans have big questions to answer about their respective futures.
The New Orleans Pelicans are not expected to have the 21-year-old Zion Williamson return to play this season. He had so much hype and potential coming into the NBA, but he surely has not started his career the way he planned.
What does Zion missing an entire season mean for his future with the Pelicans and the NBA?
The college sensation out of Duke has only played 85 games in his career, which is only three more games than the length of a full season. He’s had injuries in high school, college, and now in the NBA. Every player has a different path in the league, and to say that Williamson’s was stressful would be an understatement.
Zion and the Pelicans have had a rocky start to their relationship since the beginning. He only played in 24 games his rookie season and reportedly has issues with how the team handled his return from injury. It started with Zion and GM David Griffin’s rough introduction.
"“Williamson’s relationship with Griffin had also begun sour. Although they communicate infrequently now, Griffin tried hard in Williamson’s rookie year to forge a bond. One example: During the Pelicans’ bubble stay, Griffin asked to meet with Williamson and played the piano for him.”"
Played the piano for him? I guess some people have different ideas on how to “forge a bond.” This report was from September of 2021. That may seem like enough for there to be tensions between the two sides, but that’s not the full story. There’s more.
Fast-forward to December of 2021 and we find more news about Zion and the Pelicans’ bumpy relationship. It seems as though Williamson’s lack of work ethic and drive to stay focused when injured has hurt him greatly.
"“He has fallen asleep in film study.”“Skipping rehab.”“He has skipped things he needs to be at the team that comes to trying to get him back out on the court.”"
Both parties appear to be guilty to some extent. The Pelicans were too slow for Zion’s liking when letting him return from injury his rookie year. This year the team was trying to help him get back at his own pace and he is not committed to what needs to be done. It’s clear that the Pelicans and Zion need to sit down and have a talk about the future for them both.
Despite all the criticism about Zion, he still is a very gifted and unique talent in the NBA. In his 85 games played, he averages 25.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. Zion was also an All-Star last year and played in 85 percent of the games for New Orleans last season.
A lot of question marks still surround Williamson, mostly centered around his ability to stay healthy and his desire to want to play for the Pelicans. This is not how New Orleans expected the journey to go when they drafted Zion with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.
What does the future hold for Zion Williamson and how long will his career with New Orleans last?