New Orleans Pelicans Superstar Ranks Top Three in NBA Troubling Stat

New Orleans Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson is an intimidating presence on the court when healthy. The "when healthy" looms large with his top three ranking in this troubling stat.

Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans made a gargantuan splash when they drafted Zion Williamson with the first pick of the 2019 NBA Draft.

He has become the face of the franchise and is entering year two of a five-year, $197.23 million contract that was signed ahead of last season.

Williamson is an intimidating presence on the court, when healthy, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2019-20, ninth in Most Improved Player Award voting in 2020-21, and getting an All-Star nod twice so far in his young career.

But, therein lies the issue.

Having to use the "when healthy" qualifier.

It gets much worse when you consider that Williamson ranks as the third highest-paid player per game in the NBA at $425,415 per contest.

That total ranks behind only Joel Embiid ($437,598) and the ultimate "when healthy" player Ben Simmons ($446,791).

Injuries have troubled Williamson throughout his career, with 2023-24 being his most healthy season, seeing the big man play in 70 games, a career-high.

Williamson was limited to only 24 games in his rookie campaign and 61 in year two before missing his third year completely, and then only 29 in 2022-23.

Again, when on the court and healthy, he is an intimidating presence.

Listed at 6'6", 284 pounds, Williamson can back down the best rim protectors with his immense size and strength and does so regularly.

The key for the Pelicans is keeping Williamson healthy and on the court, something they are working toward for the coming season.

Williamson has changed his off-season routine this year, attempting to cut weight to 260 pounds and running drills five days a week to improve his endurance and durability.

Only time will tell if it will work, but having the young superstar on the court for 70 games last year proved impactful for New Orleans.

Williamson finished the year with 22.9 points per game and 31.5 minutes per game, the second-lowest minutes per game in his career thus far.

That seems to be the sweet spot for Williamson, and we may see the Pelicans try to keep him in the 30-32 minutes per game range again this year to try and keep him on the court for 70 games or even more than that.

New Orleans made it to the first round of the playoffs in 2023-24, and Williamson staying healthy was a big part of that success.

If he can stay on the court for 70 or more games again this season, another playoff appearance is not out of the question for the Pelicans.