The New Orleans Pelicans announced on Monday that star forward Zion Williamson will be out for the remainder of the season after playing just 30 games. Though he showed promise last season, playing a career-high 70 games, Williamson has now had his third season playing 30 or less games.
Overall, Williamson has played a total of 214 out of 410 games through his first five seasons in the NBA. To be frank, a 52% play-rate is very underwhelming for a former No. 1 overall pick. To even be considered for an award in the NBA, the player has to play 65 games, a roughly 79% play rate.
Furthermore, Williamson wasn't just a No. 1 overall pick, he was one of the most-hyped talents to ever enter the draft. Popular sports announcer Stephen A. Smith spoke about this issue on ESPN's First Take, highlighting that Williamson has been a disappointment so far.
"Zion Williamson is a star-caliber talent. When he is on the court and healthy, he's a monster. The problem is, he's rarely available. As great as he is, the word bust comes to mind. Not because of his talent, only talking his availability... He's rarely available.," said Smith.
"The word 'bust' comes to mind."
- Stephen A. Smith on Zion Williamson
( @FirstTake )
pic.twitter.com/CsI5K6DmHF
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 1, 2025
To Smith's point, Williamson has consistently been an incredible player when he's on the court. Along with being one of the most athletic players in the league, serving up some of the best dunks in NBA history, he's been really solid statistically.
Through five seasons, Williamson's career-low in scoring is 22.5 PPG, and he's averaged 6.6 rebounds over that span. Even so, going back to his availability issue, it's hard to ignore.
Williamson wasn't the only Pelican to be sidelined for the season as they have been injury-riddled all season. New Orleans announced CJ McCollum would be out for the season with Williamson, and Trey Murphy III was already out for the year along with Dejounte Murray.
Though the season was disappointing, the Pelicans currently have the fourth-best odds to get land No. 1 overall pick and draft another generational talent in Cooper Flagg.
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This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 3:48 PM.