With the Pelicans season officially over, we begin our look back at each individual player’s season and recap what we learned and where they stand with the Pelicans moving forward.
Overview
Zion Williamson’s rookie season was both everything that Pelicans fans could have imagined and yet so very unfulfilling. Every time he stepped on the floor, he was must-see TV. Each offensive possession felt like it was one cut, one defensive miscue, one Lonzo Ball lob from ending up as a highlight shared across Twitter and Instagram.
But Williamson’s impact was limited to highlights. When he played, the Pelicans looked like a playoff team. When he didn’t, they too often looked like the lottery team they ended up being.
Williamson proved so much and yet left so many questions unanswered all in just 24 games.
What was learned?
From the moment he stepped onto the court, Williamson looked as dominant as he did at Duke. Too fast for bigs, too strong for wings, Williamson was a match-up nightmare night in and night out.
All of the advanced stats have been relayed and explain the story. Williamson had a team-best +5.1 net rating this season. After his debut, the starting lineup exploded and became one of the best in the league. Per Cleaning the Glass, with Williamson on the court, the Pelicans played like a 53-win team.
Why didn’t they finish anywhere near 53 wins? The 44 games he missed to start the season certainly hurt. But even after that, after the team bounced back, after the season was halted, the Pelicans still yet had a chance to make the playoffs inside the bubble.
But Williamson was forced out of the bubble for an extended period, yet another situation out of his control. The Pelicans opted to bring him back slowly once he returned and, ultimately, it played a role in New Orleans missing out on the playoffs.
Whereas Williamson proved he could be an impact player, he could not prove able to play night in and night out, even if it wasn’t always within his control.
What does the future hold?
Williamson is a key piece of this franchise moving forward, but he has to get his body right. Whether that means losing weight, whether that means learning how to land or whether that simply means getting healthy, the Pelicans need him to be a competitive team.
When he’s on the court, he has nothing left to prove. Alongside Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday, the Pelicans have one of the strongest cores returning next season and, health-baring, will compete for a playoff spot with that group next season.