Zion Williamson has the Pelicans poised for a big playoff run
Following a 2-4 first-round series loss to the Suns last year without Williamson, the Pelicans are now one of the most feared teams in the NBA and have something special brewing in New Orleans
After missing four straight games to due being in health and safety protocols, Zion Williamson returned to the court on Wednesday night vs. the Timberwolves. After playing underwhelming basketball for three and a half quarters vs. a struggling Wolves team, the Pelicans relied heavily on Williamson to lead them to victory, and he did just that. Despite trailing 110-105 with just under 3 minutes to go, Williamson scored the Pelicans last 14 points and had the Smoothie King Center so loud that the commentators couldn’t hear what was happening, and even the refs tried to issue a noise warning to the fans (although that was an impossible task).
The last 14 points scored by Williamson included numerous one-two dribble drives to the basket for a score (or a foul that led to points), but what was even more impressive is that Williamson hit a dagger 3-pointer and capitalized on D’Angelo Russell’s carelessness and turned a steal into a statement dunk. The Pelicans still are without Brandon Ingram (20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game with a 3PT% of 46.7 and a TS% of 59), who’s been dealing with a “left great toe contusion” since Thanksgiving, and C.J. McCollum (19.4 points and 6.1 assists per game with an eFG% of 48.5 and a TS% of 51) is just starting to play like himself after an inefficient start to the year. However, we can already see the astronomical difference that Williamson brings to this roster.
In last year’s playoffs, the Pelicans defeated the Clippers in the Play-In Tournament, then took the #1 seed Phoenix Suns to a surprising 6 games in a series that appeared to be a toss up after game 4. Despite the obvious talent they boasted last season with Ingram, McCollum, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, and Jonas Valanciunas, they didn’t have that dominant, unguardable player that would have pushed the Suns to the brink. Granted, very few teams have that dominant, unguardable player (think Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic) that can push a team over the edge and win crucial playoff series’ in May.
As good as Ingram and McCollum were in last year’s postseason, the Suns could game-plan against them and find a way to slow them down enough to allow Devin Booker to take over late in the games. No matter what game-plan a team tries to implement, it is impossible to stop Zion Williamson and his ability to get to the rim and finish with ease, which is why he has entered the exclusive NBA Superstar list of players.
This season the Pelicans are 22-12, tied for the 1st seed in the Western Conference, and are the only team in the NBA to sport a top 7 offensive and defensive rating, with an offensive rating of 115.7 (ranked 7th), a defensive rating of 110.5 (ranked 6th), an APG (assists per game) mark of 26.9 (ranked 5th), and a team eFG% and TS% of of 54.6 and 58.5 respectively (both ranked 12th).
They have everything (and more) that a championship caliber team needs—an elite perimeter defender who can lock up the opposing team’s best player in Jones (10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game with a TS% of 54.9), a 6-10 3 and D star in Murphy (12.9 points per game with a 3PT% of 41.8 and a TS% of 65), a veteran tenacious rebounder who can stretch the floor in Valanciunas (13.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game with a 3PT% of 34.4 and a TS% of 59.7), two other young elite on-ball defenders in rookie Dyson Daniels (5.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game with a TS% of 56.4) and second-year player Jose Alvarado (9.1 points, 3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game with a TS% of 54.1) two elite 3-level scorers in Ingram and McCollum, and an unguardable superstar that can take over the game at any time in Williamson.
No other NBA team has the mix of stardom, depth, and balance on offense and defense that the Pelicans have, though the other contenders make up for that with more experience in May and June. Williamson is averaging 25.8 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game (career high) with a remarkable TS% of 65.1, a PER of 26, and one of the highest xRPM’s in the NBA, and should only incrementally improve as the season goes on (yes that is possible even as good as he already is).
Furthermore, without their franchise player last season, the Pelicans could only have gone so far. Just taking the #1 seed Suns to 6 games was impressive, but that was just an encore of what is to come in the future. Though it may take one more year of experience in the playoffs with Williamson to break through, this is a Pelicans team that no one will want to face in May since they can beat you in a variety of ways and have limited weaknesses as mentioned above. It would be irresponsible to exclude and refrain from mentioning the stellar job second-year Head Coach Willie Green has done with this team, keeping them motivated and focused on continuously making a statement in every game possible.
The Pelicans aren’t just a team to fear in this year’s playoffs, as they have the talent and core to become a dynasty and drastically improve each season in the coming years (which is why most opposing NBA GM’s could be secretly rooting for the Lakers to start winning so the Pelicans don’t add Victor Wenbanyama in next year’s draft as the own the Lakers first-round pick via a pick swap).
In conclusion, we are witnessing the start of something very special in New Orleans, and it isn’t the Saints. The passion from the fanbase and the noise evident in the Smoothie King Center on a nightly basis is an indicator that the Pelicans are the team in New Orleans right now, despite football being the main attraction in the city for decades. Zion Williamson has the Pelicans on track to become perennial championship contenders and their first big playoff run should happen this season.
Note: Advanced Statistics used in this article are gathered from Statmuse.com and NBA.com and are updated as of Thursday, December 29th, 2022.