When the New Orleans Pelicans made Zion Williamson the first pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, a long-suffering fan base was in utter joy.
The Pelicans were knee-deep in an Anthony Davis trade request and were looking to start over, this time with another top-tier prospect just like in 2012, when Davis was the clear, no-nonsense No. 1 prospect.
The organization was pivoting to a player who gained fame with his tremendous athleticism, showing high-flying performances in high school, to the point where he was a YouTube sensation by the time he was just 16 years old.
Williamson also had the game to back up the hype. During his lone season at Duke, the 6-foot-6 power forward dazzled fans and scouts with strong play, high-level production and a balancing act between being the most entertaining player on the court, as well as the best.
By all accounts, it was an easy call to take Zion at No. 1. Heavy issues could be managed, and the lack of a jump shot could be corrected. At least that was the thought.
Fast forward to 2024, and two things stand out.
One, Williamson was able to translate his high school and college production to the NBA level, becoming an All-Star and a seamless offensive weapon for the Pelicans.
Two, building around him has proven extremely difficult, to the point where you have to wonder if there will ever be a way to do it effectively.
Williamson is a small forward who is not a strong shooter, not a strong rebounder and struggles to stay healthy.
What he does well, like pressure the rim, run the floor and convert inside, he does at elite levels. His 24.6 point career average on 58.8% shooting doesn’t come out of nowhere.
The contrast between what he can do and what he can’t do is so stark, it’s hard to cement a permanent foundation for his game. That contrast also makes it nearly impossible to build a roster around him.
Some can point to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who isn’t exactly unlike Williamson when it comes to the shooting game. Antetokounmpo, a notoriously shaky shooter, also relies heavily on athleticism and rim pressure. Why can’t Williamson have a similar effect?
The answer is twofold.
One, Antetokounmpo has positional size. He is 7 feet tall, which allows him to play center, and plenty of it.
Two, the difference in rebounding and defensive impact is night and day compared to Zion. Antetokounmpo is one of the league’s best defenders, especially when roaming free, and he’s been one of the best rebounders for years.
It may be tempting to draw parallels, however, Antetokounmpo simply does not need to overcome as many challenges as Williamson.
The Pelicans played Williamson at center, and, yes, he actually improved defensively as he transformed from exciting prospect to NBA veteran. Unfortunately, neither element has made enough of a dent to where he can justifiably be catapulted into the conversation of being the best player in the league.
Basically, his archetype is almost impossible to build around. Despite his vast talents – and they are vast – the 24-year-old needs extremely specific weapons around him, on both ends of the floor, to become the best version of himself.
In today’s NBA, you can’t play much center standing only 6-6, regardless of how high you can jump, unless you’re one of the greatest defenders of your generation, like Draymond Green. And the case can be made that Green is perhaps the only player in the league who can pull it off.
For Williamson, this means an immediate need for him to play the four and pair up with a bigger player in the frontcourt.
Sounds easy enough, right? Newcomer Yves Missi looks good, which means problem solved!
Except, not quite.
Williamson is not a floor spacer, and in today’s NBA, you can’t justify having two players on the court at the same time who can’t shoot the ball. So the said center will also have to be a floor spacer. That makes things difficult, because Raef LaFrentz retired a long time ago.
The desired center would also need to be a strong rebounder with defensive prowess.
And, of course, if Williamson is fully optimized, you need that center to be able to catch lobs and play creator, because Williamson is a perfectly capable playmaker who needs the ball in his hands.
So, to fully optimize the flashy star that is Zion, the Pelicans need a center who can defend and rebound at a high level, having the ability to both space the floor and act as a rim-running lob threat.
That basically fits the description of Victor Wembanyama, who is, uh … let’s just say probably unavailable in business conversations.
As for the three other positions on the floor, the Pelicans need shooting and lots of it. To embrace Williamson’s style of play – it’s all about pace, aggression and decision-making on the fly – it’s absolutely crucial that he is consistently flanked by elite shooters who can carry significant volume.
Fortunately, that is much more attainable. At least, it would be if the buck stopped there.
Those same players will need some defensive skill and size to make up for Williamson’s disadvantages.
Even if those players are somehow acquired, things now become a salary cap issue.
While 3&D players with positional size exist around the league, they are expensive. You don’t sign OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges to sweetheart deals. Anunoby signed for more than $212 million this summer, and there’s a good chance he never even touches All-Star honors. Bridges will also be looking at a deal in a similar salary bracket down the line.
The Pelicans do have Herb Jones and Trey Murphy, both of whom are locked into team-friendly deals, but questions remain about whether Jones can continue the shooting he showed last year, as well as the Pelicans may need to see more defensively from Murphy before he . can become their version of, say, Anunoby.
Finally, you need a true playmaker at the guard spot to not overwhelm Williamson’s playmaking. This is where the Dejounte Murray acquisition hit the spot. He is exactly the type of player the Pelicans need to balance the offensive load.
Taking it all in, it’s hard not to compliment executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin for giving it his all. He really tried to build a list around Williamson’s strengths and weaknesses, albeit within a realistic framework because he has to consider the salary cap.
The laundry list of skills needed by players not named Zion Williamson is vast, and ultimately might be too much for Griffin to comprehend. And therein lies the rub.
As good as Williamson is, and let’s not pretend otherwise, the specifics around him are so unique, there is no previous draft to draw inspiration from.
Williamson’s best comparison, Charles Barkley, was drafted 35 years before Sion was. The connection was different. It looked different. It played differently. The talent was different.
Even if Griffin can inspire how the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns built around Barkley, it’s minimal, and not particularly applicable to the league today.
But even if Griffin could find a way, and even if he were to find that magical center with all those aforementioned talents, one final area of concern looms large: availability. You knew it was coming.
Williamson, for a variety of reasons, just hasn’t been durable throughout his NBA career, playing just 189 games over his six-year career and having missed three games already this season. So even with an optimal environment, there’s the issue of building a team around a star who likely lacks solid time each season.
And, as most can deduce, if the vehicle’s engine is missing, the car will not run.
This is not an attempt to convince Pelicans fans that Williamson needs to be traded. At least, not necessarily.
Buying his upside makes perfect sense, especially since no one on the roster comes close to having a similar impact when healthy. Even with the difficulties building around him, Williamson is elite. He is one of the most dangerous fast players in all of basketball. His touch around the rim is frankly outrageous, and he will overwhelm 90% of the league from an athletic and strength perspective.
He is the powerful version of first Russell Westbrook. Relentless, overwhelming, coordinated and completely fearless.
Unless the Pelicans find a player who offers anything that can even come close to what Williamson provides, rolling the dice on the former Duke star is a perfectly sound strategy.
Because, let’s face it, Brandon Ingram doesn’t have the same upside no matter how much freedom he gets. Neither does Murray, for all his abilities. Jones, Murphy, Missi and CJ McCollum are also levels down.
Everything is justifiable. At least until the day comes when the Pelicans have someone on their roster who can challenge for the crown. When that day comes, just like it did in Minnesota when Anthony Edwards passed Karl-Anthony Towns, the Pelicans have to be ready to make some bold decisions.
But until then, they’ll have to continue sailing the waters of frustration, forever mired in their quest for a Zion Williamson-optimized roster.
