New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson. Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Pelicans star Zion Williamson's latest statement is music to New Orleans' ears

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 2/29/24

Zion Williamson has often had his commitment to the New Orleans Pelicans questioned. The oft-injured star has been in the spotlight since being drafted by the Western Conference franchise with the first overall pick in 2019. The common consensus is that Williamson was waiting to be traded to a bigger market team.

However, Williamson reiterated his commitment to New Orleans after the Pelicans defeated the New York Knicks on Tuesday. His comments came during his post-game news conference.

“I can say this is my first time playing in Madison Square Garden like this where there were no COVID restrictions,” Williamson said. “And I mean New York’s the Mecca of basketball. So playing here for the first time like that was — even though I fouled out; that was unfortunate — it was dope! You can tell the fans are really behind the Knicks and it’s always dope to see especially when fans are super loyal like that, but for me, I’m good in NOLA and I’m glad we got the win.”

Williamson is enjoying his best season since entering the league. His passing improvements have been a welcomed surprise. Suddenly, Williamson is viewed as a potential point forward of the future. In 48 games this season, he's averaging 22.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 57.8% from the field.

Having missed the best part of two seasons, Williamson has some work to do. He was supposed to be a borderline top-10 player by this point of his career. He's arguably among the top 25. He needs to improve his rebounding and his ability to control the tempo of a game. He will be a nightly triple-double threat if he can do that. That would likely elevate the Pelicans into contender status.

In order to reach his undoubted potential, Williamson needs time and patience. The Pelicans have given him both of those things. However, the rumors regarding his future likely weighed heavy. Hearing their star player commit to the team moving forward will likely renew their willingness to remain patient with his development.

If Williamson can put his injury issues behind him, it won't be long until he's back to being voted an All-Star and discussed as a potential top-15 talent in the league. Fortunately for the Pelicans, he has another four years remaining on his heavily incentivized $197 million deal.

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