The New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson have yet to reach the heights that were expected from the pairing when they made him the No. 1 overall pick back in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Williamson has dealt with numerous injury issues throughout his young career already. He has also dealt with some issue that come from being out of shape. Entering the 2025-26 NBA season, the Pelicans have very high expectations for the face of their franchise.
On the outside looking in, New Orleans has put together a talented roster. Led by Williamson, the Pelicans will also feature names like Dejounte Murray, Jordan Poole, Trey Murphy III, Yves Missi, Jordan Hawkins, Herbert Jones, and Derik Queen.
Should they be viewed as a championship favorite? Not this season, but they should be a playoff team.
With that being said, head of basketball operations Joe Dumars spoke out strongly about Williamson. He’s expecting to see a big jump from the young star this season.
“We are in constant contact with each other. I’ve talked to him about the responsibility of being great and the responsibility of being a leader, of being a captain, of being the best player, of being the face of a franchise,” Dumars said. “I’ve talked to him about how all of those things come with responsibility and how it’s time now at 25 years old to embrace those responsibilities.”
Part of being a franchise leader is being on the court. Williamson played in just 30 games during the 2024-25 season.
Back in the 2023-24 campaign, he played in 70 regular season games. He needs to target playing at least 70 games and being healthy come play-in and playoff time.
In the 30 games that he played last year, Williamson performed at a high level. He averaged 24.6 points per game to go along with 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks, while shooting 56.7 percent from the floor.
A lot will be riding on the 2025-26 season for Williamson. His future in New Orleans could very well be at play. If he is unable to stay healthy or simply doesn’t perform up to expectations, Dumars and the front office could consider trying to part ways with him.
It will be very interesting to see what kind of season Williams is able to put together this year with much higher expectations placed on him from management.
