It’s been a rollercoaster start to Zion Williamson’s NBA career. But this season the runway is clear for the prodigy to take off.
The much-hyped former Pick 1 became an instant sensation in his rookie season, breaking several records to emerge as the most exciting young star to enter the league since LeBron James before claiming All-Star honors in his sophomore campaign.
A 6-foot-6, 130kg wrecking ball, Williamson’s rare combination of power and athleticism makes him a must-watch attraction. A truly special and unique athlete, there may never be another NBA talent quite like him.
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But his brute size is a double-edged sword, with the early parts of his career plagued by lower body injuries.
The 22-year old has in total played in just 86 of a possible 227 NBA games including missing all of last season with a foot problem.
Williamson had to watch from the sidelines in a much-improved 36-win season for the Pelicans where the franchise landed star guard CJ McCollum at the trade deadline and made his first playoff appearance since 2018 – back in the Anthony Davis era.
While there was plenty of talk last season about how much better the Pelicans could become when Williamson got healthy, there was also ample criticism and questions around his conditioning, fitness and commitment to his rehabilitation.
How would Williamson’s hulking frame ever hold up over the NBA’s grueling 82-game season? To have missed so much time with significant lower body injuries early in his career raised alarm bells.
Debate raged among the NBA world when images appeared of Williamson on social media last year appearing to be in less than peak physical condition – although most of the backlash was unfair given his injury clearly hampered him from doing cardio – amid rumors he was weighing as much as 150 kg.
“There’s no doubt there are some long-term issues with Zion… in terms of fitness, he’s got to get better, or he’s not going to be in the league for very long,” The Athletic’s David Aldridge told SiriusXM NBA Radio last year.
There were also multiple reports about Williamson’s unhappiness with the Pelicans over how he handled his knee injury in 2019/20 and questions about his future with the franchise.
But any talk of disharmony was put aside in July when Williamson and the team quickly agreed on a five-year rookie max extension worth at least $193 million (AUD $307m) – a deal that reportedly contains a weight clause.
It’ll see Williamson have periodic weigh-ins throughout the deal where he could lose money if his weight plus body fat is above 295.
The new contract will kick in at the beginning of the 2023/24 season in a show of long-term commitment from both parties. The total figure could rise to $231 million (AUD $368m) if Williamson makes an All-NBA team or wins a major award this season.
“For the Pelicans to come give me this birthday gift, I’m not going to let them down,” Williamson said after officially signing his extension on his birthday, July 6. “I’m not going to let the city down. I’m not going to let my family down. Most importantly, I’m not going to let myself down.”
“The ultimate goal is to win a championship. That’s what we’re all striving for. We’re hungry.”
Even despite all the injury history and risk attached, the Pelicans were eager to extend him as soon as possible while covering themselves by adding a safety net clause.
Could they really afford not to though given his talent?
And from that moment you knew both Williamson and the Pelicans meant business, where the forward could finally simply focus on doing what he does best – playing basketball.
A foot injury last off-season that required surgery put Williamson behind the eight ball from the get go, and after not healing as quickly as expected, completely ruined his campaign.
Whereas this year, Williamson, now fit and healthy, entered the season with a full head of steam and a point to prove as he’s primed to get back to his previous All-Star heights.
In his return from an 18-month absence spanning 533 days in Thursday’s season-opening clash against the Brooklyn Nets, Williamson was at his explosive best as the Pelicans dominated in a 130-108 thrashing.
Williamson went bully-ball against any Brooklyn player who got in his way including Ben Simmons, one of the NBA’s best one-on-one defenders.
The Nets had no answers for Williamson, who finished with 25 points, nine rebounds and four steals in 30 minutes crucially under no restrictions.
Despite missing so much basketball over the last year, he showed no signs of rust and, as usual, drove to the rim at will and was dialed in defensively.
“He’s very excited,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said of Williamson post-match.
“The hard work he had to put in to get to this point, we’re all proud of him as a team and an organization.”
But despite the praise from his coach and others, Williamson described his return as a “decent starter performance”.
“It’s a lot of room for improvement,” he said. “I’m still learning my teammates. Now we get real in-game reps. I’m just excited to grow.”
He’s only scratching the surface of his talent too.
A big part of what made Williamson such a prestigious talent coming out of college was his extraordinary defensive ability, averaging a ridiculous 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game at Duke.
But it hasn’t yet translated to the NBA – both statistically, where’s averaged 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks – and generally in helping the Pelicans become an elite defensive unit.
If it does, look out, and the signs were there against the Nets.
It was a scary statement from the Pelicans as Brandon Ingram co-starred with 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists along with Williamson leading a talented core including McCollum, Herbert Jones and Jonas Valanciunas that had never previously shared the court together.
Even minor injuries to Williamson, Ingram and McCollum meant the Pelicans didn’t get a look at their starting five over the pre-season.
And so Green’s team should rightfully have high hopes for what it can achieve this season as one of the big dark horses in the West, with Williamson holding the key.
It may only be one game in, but dismantling a star-studded Nets side led by Kevin Durant on their home floor was a red-hot start.
While staying healthy is clearly critical, the sky’s the limit for Williamson this season as he looks to overcome a myriad of setbacks early in his career and take New Orleans to new heights.
It’s fair to say the league should be on notice.
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