NBA Star Zion Williamson's Latest Return Not Enough

The Pelicans star returned to the court Wednesday night, but it was not enough as the Pelicans were blown out.

Mar 21, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) watches his team from the bench as they play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans suffered another back-to-back 30-point loss in Wednesday's 122-88 blowout defeat on the road. New Orleans seems poised for a long, disappointing season, which theoretically would give them odds for a lottery pick in next year's draft. The New Orleans Pelicans have won the lottery odds twice in their franchise history.

The last time the Pelicans picked number one overall, New Orleans chose Duke standout Zion Williamson as the top choice in the 2019 draft. Six years later, the team has not made it past the first round of the playoffs, and Williamson has not played in a single playoff game. At 0-3 to start the season, it appears New Orleans is trending in the wrong direction in the Western Conference.

New Orleans capped off a dismal 21-61 season and promptly fired their executive vice president of basketball operations, David Griffin, one day after the season ended. The Pelicans hired former Detroit Pistons top executive Joe Dumars to replace Griffin in the front office. Many speculated whether Dumars would look to move on from the often-injured Pelicans star.

A report earlier this summer revealed Dumars would move on from the two-time all-star saying, "ownership will mandate Dumars to keep [head coach] Willie Green and trade Zion." During his introductory press conference last month, Dumars denied that report, saying, "If I did, nobody told me," regarding the alleged mandate.

Williamson played in just 30 games last year, marking the fourth time in his six-year career that he played less than 40 games in a season. The former Duke standout did average career-highs in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, but his lack of availability here in New Orleans raises questions about whether the Pelicans want to continue committing to him long-term.

DON'T JUMP WITH ZION WILLIAMSON. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/IhU4wqww9h

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 18, 2025

New Orleans traded away former all-star Brandon Ingram before the All-Star break last year amid contract disputes between both sides. If this season continues going south, the Pelicans now must decide if they want to hitch their wagon to Zion for the future or have the franchise looking to start a full rebuild in New Orleans.

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