Posted December 8 2023
EVERYONE else IS TURNING ON ZION.. SHOULD YOU BE?
December 30th, 2022. The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Joel Embiid & James Harden lead 76ers. Their record sits at 23-12, tied for 1st in the West.
A 22 year old Zion Williamson sits 7th in MVP betting odds. New Orleans was turning the corner.
How quickly things change. Zion would only play two more games all year. The Pelicans would only win 19 of the last 47 games, and the explosion of the first couple months of the season turns into sputters with a play-in loss.
Less than a year later, New Orleans falls to 12-11 early in the 2023-2024 season after a 44 point loss to LeBron & the Lakers. They’re now not even an afterthought in any discussion about contenders.
And the world seems to be turning on Zion Williamson.
Charles Barkley has called him out on-air multiple times. Beat writers for the Pelicans are leaking that the team isn’t happy with his effort off the court. He’s fallen from averaging 27 points his breakout sophomore year, down to just over 22 points this season.
Is it time to sell on your Zion hype?
I wouldn’t just yet.
It may seem like he’s been in the league for a decade because of how long he’s been in the public eye, but here’s a reminder: he’s still just 23 years old, he's younger than most of those 'breakout players' you're keeping an eye on.
The conditioning and durability concerns are real, yes, but they’ve been overcome before. For an example of a player overcoming injuries, look at the reigning MVP of the league - Joel Embiid.
At the same age that Zion is right now, Embiid had played a total of 31 games entering his 4th season in the NBA.
Not saying Zion is going to be back to being in MVP betting odds anytime soon, but it wouldn’t be unprecedented for him to bounce back better than ever.
Zion may not be putting up his best volume numbers, but don't discount that he's still playing at an elite level for a young star as a #1 option & leader on a playoff caliber team.
For some context:
There's only 3 players in the league that are 23 years old or younger scoring 35+ points per 100 possessions: "Dark horse/top 10" MVP candidates Anthony Edwards & Tyrese Haliburton, and Zion Williamson.
Let's look past him being the team's top scorer, something we're used to from him. You want to see where he's still progressing and growing as a player, just look at his playmaking.
Zion's taken a jump as a playmaker and is up to 7.5 assists per 100 possessions, second on the team. His AST% is up to 26.8% this year, a 'Zion-sized leap' from 13.3% his rookie year. That number is good for 3rd in the entire league among Power Forwards, behind only Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
You will find him in the top 5 for Power Forwards in Assists per 36 minutes, Assists per 100 possesions, and Points generated by assists per game too.
It’s hard to call someone ‘lazy’ when he’s turned one of his biggest weaknesses as a prospect into a strength by the time he’s 23 years old.
The hype has faded from Zion due to concerns about motivation and durability. He isn’t immune to criticisms, but this young man is still improving as an all-around player.
Hovering around .500, the Pelicans aren’t on too many radars right now, but give it time. Once this team gets rolling again with Trey Murphy III and CJ McCollum coming back into the lineup, don't be surprised if New Orleans reminds us why they were being called young contenders just a year ago.
