Pelicans Scoop

New Orleans Pelicans 2024–25 NBA Season Will Be the Year of Zion Williamson

The New Orleans Pelicans will go as far as their star will take them this season.

Kenneth Teape

Sep 30, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) takes part in Pelicans Media Day.
Sep 30, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) takes part in Pelicans Media Day. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
In this story:

There has been a lot of focus on some of the lineup decisions that the New Orleans Pelicans will make during the 2024-25 season.

Who is going to be the starting center? Will Trey Murphy, when healthy, be in the starting lineup? What does the future hold for Brandon Ingram?

They are all important things to figure out throughout the course of the campaign. Alas, they will all be for naught unless their star, Zion Williamson, can remain healthy.

Last season, he played in a career-high 70 regular season games. He averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 31.5 minutes per game.

Head coach Willie Green will certainly trade a bucket or two fewer per game if it means him being available to play as much as he was.

But, he still wasn’t on the court when the team needed him most as he suffered an injury in the NBA Play-In Tournament against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Pelicans won that game, earning the No. 7 seed and a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. New Orleans was swept without their best player in the lineup.

Looking to change his fortunes and become more reliable in terms of availability, Williamson has put in work this offseason. His entire diet was revamped, building upon the work he started last winter when national media members began calling him out for his weight.

The results, at first look, are incredible.

The former No. 1 picks to legitimately be in the best shape of his life. As a result, there are a lot of people within the organization who are excited about what is to come this season.

During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN revealed just how highly the team feels about Williamson. They believe he is poised for a true breakout campaign given the level of focus and how good of shape he has come into training camp and preseason in.

In years past, a major issue for the talented forward has been an inability to be ready for the rigors of the NBA campaign out of the gate. There was always something keeping him from reaching his full potential, as he had to work himself into shape.

That isn’t the case this year. He reported in remarkable shape and is ready to hit the ground running for the first time as a pro.

The Pelicans have an incredibly high ceiling; they just need a few breaks to go their way. But, the single most important thing for the team to reach their potential is Williamson staying healthy and productive on the court.

Published
Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

Home/News