With Core In Place, Pelicans Now Need Zion Williamson To Get Healthy

It’s been a tough season for the New Orleans Pelicans. The team is just 30-31 after riding high early in the year, looking like a potential championship contender.

Injuries to both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, having limited both to 29 and 26 games respectively, was too big a loss for the club to remain in the championship mix, and as a result, they’re now 10th in the Western Conference, clinging on to the final play-in spot.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom in The Big Easy. For a team without their two best players, the Pelicans have done an admirable job building out the roster with considerable depth, which bodes well for the immediate future.

CJ McCollum, averaging 21 points and 5.9 assists per game, has been a stable at the lead-guard spot, and Jonas Valanćiunas (14.3 points, 9.8 rebounds) has held down the center spot. One might be tempted to call them insurance policies, but they’ve proven to be much more. McCollum, a legitimate third star, in particular plays a vital role in New Orleans not yet having been banished to land of the irrelevants, such as Houston or San Antonio.

Second-year forward Trey Murphy has taking a step forward in his evolution, sporting a TS of 63.4%, even if he’s been forced to have a role a bit too high on the offensive totem pole. Fellow sophomore forward Herb Jones remains one of the most deadly defenders at the wing spot in the NBA, even if his offense has looked rough for most of the season.

All that is to say the Pelicans are treading water, and that’s exactly what they should be doing given the presence of these players, a calculated effort from management to stay afloat.

Williamson missing games hardly comes as a surprise. He missed all of the 2021-2022 season, and played in just 85 games over his first two seasons. This team has been built to overcome such loss, as putting all eggs in Williamson’s basket would have been foolhardy.

Had Ingram not gone down, it’s fair to wonder where these Pelicans would have been in the standings, if Williamson were the lone star to miss time. A top six seed, and a secured playoff spot, wouldn’t have been out of the question.

And it still might not be.

Ingram is back these days, and while the results have lacked since his return (the Pelicans are 4-7) it takes time to incorporate a high-volume scorer. With 21 games left on the schedule, Ingram, McCollum, Valanćiunas, Murphy, and Jones is a solid baseline core until Williamson returns, of which the timeline is murky.

And should the Pelicans not make the playoffs, at least they’ll have further offseason ammunition to upgrade the roster, as they would have a lottery selection on their hands which can be used in trades.

If nothing else, vice president David Griffin, and general manager Trajan Langdon, have done a spectacular job setting up a roster for when Williamson should break protocol, and be healthy for a full year.

Of course, Williamson’s availability is the big question which seemingly hangs over this franchise every single season. The Pelicans gave the Suns a tough six-game series last year, but Williamson was sidelined and has yet to make his playoff debut.

Griffin and Langdon have done a marvelous job plugging holes and fielding a team that can work in unison with Williamson, but that requires the high-flying All-Star is on the floor, and is capable of staying healthy for an extended period of time.

No one is questioning Williamson’s will to play, it should be noted. Behind the smiles he flashes to the public is an intense competitor with a large footprint on every game he plays. It’s why he was picked first overall in 2019. Williamson himself is one of the most productive players in the NBA, notching 26 points, seven rebounds, 4.6 assists per game, while converting over 60% of his shot attempts. In the 29 games he’s played this year, the Pelicans have gone 17-12.

Is the answer to keep building around him, and hope for the best? Or is it to entertain trade offers?

Ultimately, that comes down to management. But given Williamson’s effect on the floor, not to mention how this group is tailored to his game, giving this team another go next season would be the right call.

Who knows – Williamson might come back before the end of the regular season, lead his team to the playoffs, and make all our questions moot. That’s always the hope, anyway.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.