New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson appears to be in terrific shape a few months ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Zion looks like he’s in the best shape of his life pic.twitter.com/itoH2tMuQ8
— Ingram Alerts (@IngramAlerts) August 17, 2024
This is great news for the Pelicans and their fans, especially since Williamson had one of the best seasons of his young career in the 2023-24 campaign.
Williamson was relatively healthy during the regular season, appearing in a career-high 70 games for New Orleans in the 2023-24 campaign. He averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 57.0 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.
Unfortunately, Williamson injured his hamstring in the Pelicans’ play-in tournament game against the Los Angeles Lakers, costing the team a chance at the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.
Before going down in that matchup, Williamson was magnificent, scoring 40 points on 17-of-27 shooting while adding 11 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. The former No. 1 overall pick did not return in the 2023-24 season, missing New Orleans’ eventual playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
While the Pelicans did hold on without Williamson to earn the No. 8 seed, they didn’t win a single playoff game in the 2023-24 season, showing just how important the two-time All-Star is to the franchise.
If Williamson comes into the 2024-25 season in great shape, it may help him avoid the injury issues that have plagued him for most of his NBA career.
As a rookie, Williamson appeared in just 24 games, but he did play in 61 games in his second NBA season.
Then, a foot injury cost the former Duke University star the entire 2021-22 season. He returned and made the All-Star team in the 2022-23 season, but he was limited to just 29 games.
The Pelicans made a major move this summer to change their roster around Williamson, trading for former All-Star guard Dejounte Murray in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks.
Murray should give the Pelicans another elite scoring option behind Williams and Brandon Ingram in a loaded Western Conference.
Williamson has shown in his short career that he can be an All-Star caliber player, but he will need to stay healthy and in shape to take the next step and lead the Pelicans deep into the playoffs.
