Zion Williamson has been in the spotlight recently because of a lot of reasons not related to playing on the court. Everyone expects a high-caliber superstar like Zion to want out from a small market team.
The New Orleans Pelicans have been unable to put together the right elements to make Zion Williamson and his family happy, per @TheAthleticNBA
“Multiple sources have told The Athletic that certain family members want Williamson on another team.” 😳 pic.twitter.com/6kfWYLqX4V
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 17, 2021
Reports say that Zion Williamson’s family were not been kept content by the Pelicans organization. A family plays a key role in many NBA Player’s decisions on where they want to spend the rest of their career. New Orleans is a fun city and has been recently spoiled from one superstar to another.
It’s been only 4 years since Zion’s arrival. He hasn’t been able to make a major impact in the NBA and has failed to lead the Pelicans to the playoffs even after a long time.
Zion Williamson’s on and off-the-court problems
The Pelicans started this season well, despite their issues on the court. Ingram is an isolation player and Zion needs the ball in the paint to be effective. They both cannot play off of each other. But lack of chemistry has not been the only issue for Zion.
Since making his NBA debut in January 2020, Zion has only played 114 games. In his rookie season, the former Duke superstar tore his meniscus. To make things worse, Zion missed the whole 2021-22 NBA season after suffering a right foot fracture. It must be mentioned that he fractured his thumb around the same time frame as well.
At one point, the Pelicans were in contention to make the playoffs, but Zion’s injury affected their chances massively. At the end of the regular season, they were sitting in 9th, managing to only make the play-in. However, they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder and missed out on the playoffs completely.
Zion’s most recent injury was when he pulled his hamstring when playing against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 2, 2023. Ultimately, that was the turning point for whom the NBA world had held high hopes. However, it looks like Zion might make a much-awaited return next season, and it would be interesting to see how he performs for the Pelicans, and how they build the team around him in the offseason.