Former No. 1 overall draft pick Zion Williamson has had a decent NBA career with the Pelicans, let there be no doubt. But it’s not yet been utterly dominant.
Granted, you can chalk a lot of that up to injuries and perhaps, some weight issues. But there is never any question about his drive and skillset. And if you’re going to pick a sleeper out of the West this season, it may not be a bad idea to go with Williamson and New Orleans, which landed standout guard Dejounte Murray in a trade with the Hawks.
So yeah, the Pelicans may be on the up and up. Just ask Williamson, who told Will Guillory of The Athletic that he is preparing for a banner season.
“I want to be one of them ones. I’ve been talking about it and I’ve been making mistakes (along the way),” Williamson said. “That stuff can’t happen. It’s time to take every game personal.”
The Pelicans are coming off a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Thunder. Williamson missed the series after injuring his leg at the end of a loss to the Lakers in the 7-8 play-in game.
But he did appear in a career-high 70 games last season, averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 57.0% from the field and 33.3% on 3-pointers. A North Carolina native, Williamson has played in only 184 games since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
“I’m out for straight vengeance,” Williamson said. “Not against any particular person. Just for myself.”
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