On Sunday, March 4, Zion Williamson put on a show. He was absolutely unstoppable all night, attacking the rim with reckless abandon and no defender stood a chance at stopping him. He wound up with a game-high 37 points.
His dominance was evidenced by his efficiency, having gone a pristine 17-23 from the field. All of his makes came within the painted area. In fact, he didn't even attempt a single shot outside of the lane and only had one look that wasn't from point-blank range — one of his few misses. He also added six assists, four rebounds, a steal, and a block to his big scoring night. Perhaps most impressively, he did all of this in just 26 minutes and finished a +11 in his time on the court.
Despite his individual excellence, the New Orleans Pelicans were routed by the Los Angeles Lakers, 115-136. This defeat at the hands of the Lakers was a perfect encapsulation of the duality of both Zion Williamson as a player and his impact on the Pelicans as a team. New Orleans is approaching a crossroads with Big Z, and the choice they have to make hasn't gotten any easier.
It's impossible for the Pelicans to give up on Zion Williamson
Earlier this year, it seemed like Zion Williamson's future in New Orleans was truly up in the air. The franchise was grappling with the reality that injuries had tanked their entire 2024-25 campaign just a few weeks into the season. While it wasn't solely Zion who got hurt this time around, it's easy to see why the team may have viewed this disastrous season as the straw that broke the camel's back regarding the Zion experience in the Bayou.
The Pelicans had reportedly listed practically their entire roster as available heading into the trade deadline, including Zion. At the same time, they also marked several young players on the team as "untouchable." Williamson's exclusion from that shortlist was surprising and noteworthy. It made the possibility of New Orleans parting ways with Zion a tangible reality.
Considering that he remained in the Big Easy through the deadline, it appears that Executive Vice President David Griffin and the rest of the Pelicans' brass aren't quite ready to give up on him just yet. He's taken every opportunity since the deadline to vindicate their decision to keep him around. Since then, he's averaged 26.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.4 steals in just 28.5 minutes per game while shooting a ridiculous 64 percent from the field.
New Orleans might be having a horrible year compared to their preseason aspirations, but Zion is having one of the best seasons of his career, if not the best. It's somewhat reflective of the Pelicans' experience in the Williamson era so far, with their prized prospect showing clear signs of superstardom and dominance but it failing to materialize as sustained team success.
One of the big talking points this year has been how impactful Zion has been despite playing limited minutes, with him currently averaging just 28.4 minutes so far, his lowest mark since he was a rookie. On top of that, he's played in just 25 games total, due to a variety of injuries including a hamstring strain that held him out for much longer than typically expected.
Every time he suits up, he gives a stark reminder of why he deserves the opportunity to be the face of the Pelicans' franchise. Against the Lakers, he gave another deafening pitch as to why he should remain the future of this franchise. Opposite him that night though was LeBron James, who in his 22nd year was suiting up for his 56th game of the season.
The King walked away with 36 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and a steal. Most importantly, he got the win. LeBron in his pursuit for the unanimous title of the Greatest of All Time has made a strong argument that the greatest ability his availability, and he continues to show why every single time he laces up his sneakers. Zion has shown the ability to go toe-to-toe with even the King when he's healthy, but the King has shown that he's healthy and available more than anyone who challenges his throne, especially Zion.