The New Orleans Pelicans are just one game into the 2024-25 season and are already dealing with a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, they defeated the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday to begin the season 1-0. The Pelicans won 123-11 and had impressive performances from Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, and Yves Missi, among a few others. However, on the flip side, Murray suffered a fractured hand and is now out indefinitely. Furthermore, the team is already down Trey Murphy III, though they will likely get him back within the next couple of weeks. Most notably, however, star Zion Williamson also missed the team’s season opener due to an illness. Luckily for him and the Pelicans, however, he should return very soon.
According to Pelicans reporter Erin Summers, head coach Willie Green announced that Williamson will make his season debut tomorrow night on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Head coach Willie Green said that Zion Williamson should be good to go Friday vs Portland https://t.co/oob7PygJXE
— Erin Summers (@ErinESummers) October 24, 2024
Return Date for New Orleans Pelicans Star Revealed
Zion Williamson Could Be In for a Career Year
The 24-year-old is entering his sixth season with the Pelicans, which could become his best campaign so far. Despite dealing with injuries throughout his entire NBA career, Williamson appeared in 70 games for the Pelicans last season. This was a career-high for Williamson. Additionally, it was only the second time in his career he played at least 30 games (61 games during the 2020-21 season). Though he ultimately got injured in the team’s Play-In loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and missed the rest of the postseason, Williamson still had a great campaign. Last season, he averaged 22.9 points on 57% shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.1 steals. He was good last season, but the Duke alum may be even better this time around.
Williamson is reportedly in the best shape of his career so far. A couple of weeks ago, NBA insider Shams Charania spoke about Williamson’s shape. Charania noted that his presence in training camp was his most dominant “in the eyes of the Pelicans” (YouTube link).
“He worked with the Pelican staff all summer, and that was very important for him. That was very important for the Pelicans. That’s not something he’s done in past offseasons. There hasn’t been a single NBA season where he’s come into training camp and looked this dominant in the eyes of the Pelicans,” Charania said.
Additionally, Murphy also spoke about Williamson’s shape, saying he has taken it “very seriously.”
“He’s taken his body work and recovery very seriously. He just looks different from last year. He’s come into this season ready to play, in good shape. It’s just a testament to what he’s done this summer.”
Due to his work ethic, Williamson could have the best year of his career this season.
The Last Word
Not enough can be said about Williamson’s importance to the Pelicans. When healthy, he is a dominant player. There is a debate about whether he has failed to live up to his lofty expectations when he entered the 2019 draft. However, there is no denying that he is an All-NBA caliber player. Williamson has yet to play in the playoffs at this point in his career. However, the Pelicans are in a good position to make it back there this season. Although, it largely depends on Williamson’s availability and what he can do on the court.
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