Zion Williamson is someone everyone has been wondering whether he will ever one day become a future hall-of-famer or will be someone who is often injured for 10 or maybe 12 years in the NBA,makes a couple all-star games, and eventually just washes away. I had never seen anyone with the power,sheer force and gravity that Zion possessed in his high-school days, not even LeBron James. LeBron in his prime was definitely just as explosive but he was also much faster than Zion ever has been. Early on in Zion’s career he didn’t look as big on television as he did when he was lining up alongside Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett at Duke; he also didn’t move as fast either and all uptil now it’s fair to say he has been a disappointment at the NBA level aside from practically this season. He seemed like he was favorite for the MVP trophy early on in this season but to no surprise he hit the injury list although it’s been said he is not far away from an eventual return to the Pelicans’ lineup; as the Pelicans have been saved over the past 10 something games thanks to Brandon Ingram playing at a superstar level all while putting up prime Larry Bird like stat-lines.
I will say it should not come of shock to anyone if the Pelicans just so happen to make an appearance in the Conference Finals this season, although at best I’ll predict they get bounced in the first round this season because although the West is inferior to the East this season as far as team records go it looks like we could be lining up to having a playoffs which include the likes of a Kevin Durant,Stephen Curry,Kawhi Leonard,LeBron James,Nikola Jokic, and Ja Morant and as good as Zion might be I just don’t believe the Pelicans are well constructed enough around Zion and Ingram to make a really serious run, for at least this season that is. The Pelicans back-court is quite intriguing with guards the likes of CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy, two dynamic guards who can both create their own offense and light it up from the outside which will certain take pressure off both Zion and Ingram going into the playoffs but inexperience I think will ultimately haunt them against more experienced cores. But with the way the league is trending were having young legs and some depth is vital, those are two areas in which the Pelicans excel having key role players such as a Naji Marshall,Herb Jones,Jose Alvarado,and trade deadline acquisition Josh Richardson who’s been the ideal catch and shoot threat for them off the bench.
To piggy back off Zion, as far as career trajectory goes I don’t believe he has any reason to want out of New Orleans for at least the following season because Brandon Ingram has carried the Pelicans quite well practically all season; as Zion has only suited up for a grand total of 29 games and the rest of the team has stepped up in what has been yet another extended absence for Zion in his 4-year tenure in New Orleans. The Pelicans are loaded with depth and youth around Zion, but how will he feel a year or two from now if he has yet to win a championship? Will he follow the same route former franchise player Anthony Davis took after giving New Orleans 7 years of his career before bolting after feeling he would rot away in New Orleans and never become a champion? We heard the Knicks rumors early on before the draft came around, everyone thought the Knicks were getting ready to rig the NBA Draft like they once did with former Knicks legend Patrick Ewing back in 1985 but Zion became a Pelican. Tasked with picking up right where Anthony Davis left off, and so far it hasn’t looked so good. If health does get on his side I do believe he can certainly become one of the all-time greats and supersede anything Anthony Davis ever did in New Orleans. And it’s not taking away anything from Davis who carried the Pelicans to the playoffs multiple times and fulfilled being the face of New Orleans for an extended time period, Zion just has that it factor.
If I had a crystal ball and could look into Zion’s future in the NBA, I believe he will remain a Pelican for a good portion of his career. There doesn’t seem to be any sort of gripe or struggle for power between him and his running mate Brandon Ingram, that should at least spell that he will be around in New Orleans for at least the next 2-3 seasons before going on Indiana Paul George or Houston James Harden mode, two superstars who threw in the towel after losing faith in their respective organizations’ ability to put a worthy contending roster around them. Zion seems to understand that winning is ultimately what matters and the Pelicans are a team that is set up to contend for years to come, ZIon will just have to make sure every moment he does get on the basketball court matters. Maybe Zion ends up having a short 10-12 year and manages to win 2-3 titles along the way, or who knows maybe even 4 or 5; I wouldn’t be surprised one bit as he dominates the game in a Shaquille O’Neal like fashion where there just isn’t much you could do against him physically. Despite his career in the NBA being berated by injuries early on, he still is just the ripe age of 22 with the prime of his career still well away.
After all the NBA is still looking for it’s future face and young superstars such as Morant,Doncic,Giannis,Jokic,Tatum,and Embiid don’t quite fit the ball although Tatum,Morant,and Doncic are very intriguing candidates but no player in the NBA would represent the league better than Zion Williamson. He’s got the skill-set,athleticism,and charisma coupled with being the correct ethnicity to be the NBA’s poster boy. If Zion Williamson can do one thing is sell tickets and draw attention, even if he is playing in small market even the casual NBA fan would be enticed to check in to watch him razzle dazzle into the paint and wreck mayhem through traffic on his way to a rim rattling tomahawk or up and under finish in the lane. When you hear someone like Brandon Ingram call Zion Williamson a generational talent you just have to believe it; as Ingram is supremely confident in his own abilities and has already been an all-star in his respective career; and even he knows he’s second fiddle in New Orleans. Zion has always been the one, it was the case in high-school,college, and will also be the case in the NBA for years to come. The constant setbacks have been unfortunate with Zion but I’d bank on him being next up after LeBron hangs em up, it’s slowly brewing stay tuned. That huge smile which could light up the darkest alley will be a very common sight for years to come.
D-NBA 