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Pelicans' Joe Dumars Dishes Out Harsh Truth to Zion Williamson

New Orleans Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars explained his harsh truth about Zion Williamson on Saturday afternoon
Matt Guzman|
Feb 10, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) sits on the bench before the start of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.
Feb 10, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) sits on the bench before the start of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

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New Orleans Pelicans

Speaking during Saturday's preseason game between the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos, newly instated Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars addressed Zion Williamson.

The 62-year-old expressed his confidence in the franchise's star several times over the offseason, despite ongoing injury concerns that have kept him sidelined for chunks at a time. It was the first obstacle to overcome in the duo's partnership.

"From what I'm hearing from Joe," Andscape's Marc J. Spears said. "He's been really, really impressed with Zion."

That didn't come without some tough love, however.

Dumars' Harsh Truth About Williamson

Saturday afternoon, Dumars got honest.

"He is in really good shape," the executive said, doubling down. "We have been challenging him like: 'You can't keep doing the same things that you've done in the past and expect something different.'"

While Dumars didn't go into depth about what he meant, an educated guess says he was referring to Williamson's conditioning and offseason work.

Since he was drafted in 2019, Williamson has played at least 65 games, the new minimum for end-of-season award eligibility, just once in five seasons.

Last year, the forward took a turn for the better through another small sample size, averaging 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 30 appearances — his third-best points-per-game average and third-fewest games played.

Dumars says Williamson has responded to his challenge this offseason, too.

"He has stepped up to the challenge," he said, "and we're going to keep pushing him."

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) reacts during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Smoothie King Ce
Mar 17, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) reacts during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Smoothie King Center. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Next season, New Orleans is welcoming a few new faces in Derik Queen, Jordan Poole, and Jeremiah Fears. The latter duo possesses an overlapping skill set, but after drafting and trading for each, respectively, Pelicans coach Willie Green is confident in their ability to commingle.

"I think he's at a point in his career where he's ready to take another step forward," Green said of Poole. "He's excited. He's a dynamic scorer, a champion. Learned under guys at Golden State."

Adding Williamson's expected uptick in availability and production, the Pelicans are certainly gearing up to be a surprise team near the bottom of the Western Conference.

They won't be contending for a championship, but considering the small margin of error in the West standings, they could do some damage.

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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