Skepticism is understandable.
After all, season after season it has been stated how this is the year Zion Williamson figures it all out.
Pelicans fans have waited in frustration for him to fulfill that “Let’s Dance” promise he gave to the city of New Orleans that June night in 2019 when the Pelicans drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick.
Those promises have gone unfulfilled in a career that has had more lows than highs. For every jaw-dropping dunk and mind-boggling stat line, there has been a collection of DNPs to offset them.
Williamson has been with the Pelicans for six seasons. Of the 492 games he could have played, he’s played in less than half of them at 214.
Six seasons in, he has yet to suit up for a playoff game.
They say the best ability is availability. More times than not, he hasn’t been available.
But this year might be different.
Williamson seems more eager than ever to reach every ounce of potential stored in his slimmer body. He now has a better understanding of the difference between being talented and being great.
“Greatness is every day,” Williamson said. “It’s when you don’t want to do it and when you want to do it. It’s when facing crazy adversity. Greatness is you do it every day. You show up every day. You make it happen every day.”
Williamson didn’t always get that. Credit Joe Dumars, hired in April as the Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations, for helping get that message through to him. Dumars, Williamson and new senior vice president of basketball operations Troy Weaver held several “man-to-man” conversations this offseason.
“The main thing that I’ve talked to Zion about is responsibility and accountability,” Dumars said. “What I’ve said to him is with greatness comes responsibility. You don’t get to be great and not be responsible. It’s been a heavy emphasis on that.”
Williamson has listened. Even media members have noticed a big difference. In years past, Williamson wasn’t available as much to the media during the preseason. It’s been much different since those talks with Dumars, who has connected with Williamson in a way that former executive David Griffin wasn’t able to.
It helps that Williamson, a historian of the game, knows all about Dumars’ accomplishments as one of the Bad Boys on the Detroit Pistons championship teams.
“I know he’s going to hold me to a really high standard,” Williamson said. “If I slip up or anything, I know he’s going to be right there to make sure I get right back on path.”
Williamson also has spent valuable time this offseason working out with Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon. She’s like a big sister to him. They became close when Weatherspoon was on the Pelicans coaching staff, and they’ve remained close since her departure in 2023.
The early returns are good, but none of it matters unless Williamson can stay healthy and lead the Pelicans to wins as they look to rebound from a 21-win season, tied for the second-worst record in franchise history.
His teammates have noticed the difference.
“We know Z. We know how good he is,” guard Jose Alvarado said. “But one thing I see is his confidence in himself. He’s confident in his whole game and confident in who he is. That’s one thing I hadn’t seen before. Not saying that he wasn’t confident before. But he has a little more swag and pep to his step now, and I’m excited to see him play.”
Williamson playing means everything to the Pelicans. It’s why every prognostication about the Pelicans’ season usually starts with these four words: “If Zion is healthy … .”
Willie Green, who is entering his fifth season as head coach, knows the Pelicans will go as far as Williamson leads them. It’s no coincidence that when Williamson played a career-high 70 games two seasons ago, the Pelicans won 49 games. That tied for the second-most wins in franchise history.
Green’s expectations for Williamson are even higher.
“Keep taking a step forward with the conditioning component,” Green said. “I have to commend him. He’s doing everything he needs to do to take care of his body. That’s going to be important for him to be available for us. Continue to step on the floor and being the Zion that we know he’s capable of being. When he’s doing that, he’s one of the top players in this league.”
When he’s not, he’s one of the most scrutinized players in the league. Williamson used to keep receipts of all the scrutiny.
“There was a time when I kept tabs and notes,” he said. “That’s in the past for me. The past is going to stay in the past. I’m only looking forward to the future.”
For now, that future is still in New Orleans. One of Dumars’ first big decisions when he took over was sticking with Williamson. Many fans were ready for the team to move on from Williamson, but Dumars thought otherwise because he believes in Williamson.
Even more importantly, Williamson believes in himself more than ever before.
“Whatever my team needs, that’s what I will do,” Williamson said.
The only thing the Pels really need is for him to play.
It’s the only way to make the skepticism go away.
