The surprising New Orleans Pelicans have had a bad break recently. Cornerback Zion Williamson is expected to miss at least three weeks with a hamstring injury. While the Pelicans still have a solid core with the likes of Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum, Williamson’s absence will still be noticeable. The Pelicans are now battling for the top spot in the Western Conference with the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets. Without his best player, this battle will be very difficult now.
Pelicans star, Zion Williamson, did not miss three weeks
Zion Williamson’s season so far
It’s easy to say that Zion was running a stellar campaign. On the year, the former Duke sensation is averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 total rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. He’s doing so by hitting an effective field goal percentage of 61.5 percent. Zion’s 36-minute-plus numbers are also impressive. So far, he’s rating a player efficiency rating of 25.5 to pair with an accurate shooting percentage of 65.2 percent. Not to mention, Williamson is averaging 28.4 points, 1.2 steals and 5.0 assists per 36 minutes. Some notable career-bests so far for the one-time All-Star include a 24.1 percent assist percentage and a 5.9 box plus/minus rating. These numbers should not be surprising though. Pelicans coach Willie Green had this to say about Zion Williamson before the regular season began:
“Z looks amazing. His strength, speed. He dominated the defeat.”
Hearing this gave Pelicans fans confidence. Zion Williamson’s health and diet were a big concern last year. However, he seems to be concerned about how well he has played this year. It will be a challenge for New Orleans to continue their recent success without Zion Williamson for this three-week stretch. While the team has potential, maintaining their current third place finish in the Western Conference will be the team’s biggest challenge this season.
The importance of Zion to the success of New Orleans
Zion Williamson is the centerpiece of this team. With that in mind, New Orleans’ game plan will have to change. They currently have a 4.4 team net rating, which ranks ninth in teams at 26.4 per game. They are 10th as a team in three-point shooting at 36.8 percent. Mind you, the other two stars in Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum have missed quite a few games this season.
This sheds more light on Zion’s importance to the New Orleans Pelicans. Going forward, New Orleans will face teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers. This is a sloppy face-off without a star player. Four of these six teams could very well be in this year’s playoffs. Even Washington may have playoff ambitions. The Pelicans have the talent to win many of these games, but as mentioned before, franchise cornerstone, Zion Williamson, would be the x-factor in each matchup.
