For years, the New Orleans Pelicans have been stuck in no man's land, as they have not made it past the first round of the playoffs since they were led by Anthony Davis in the 2017-18 season, and before then, it was not until they were led by Chris Paul in the 2007-08 season. If this trend continues, at least the franchise can look forward to its 2027-28 campaign.
Regardless of recent postseason success, the Pelicans have a surprisingly talented roster for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Of course, the franchise has been building around Zion Williamson since they drafted him first overall in 2019, but they have put legitimate pieces around him.
Current Pelicans depth chart —
Thoughts?
(via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/sX3SJXWVfp
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 30, 2025
The Pelicans have a new-look core of Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, Jordan Poole, Yves Missi, Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, Kevon Looney, Jose Alvarado, Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, and Jordan Hawkins, creating a very talented lineup. Of course, injuries seem to always stand in their way, but on paper, the Pelicans are poised to make some noise next season.
Williamson, especially, has had the injury bug throughout his career. Through six seasons in the NBA, Williamson has played over 30 games just twice, including the 2021-22 season that he missed entirely. However, when he is healthy, he has shown the potential to be one of the best players in the league.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1)
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. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
No franchise wants to be actively building around a star player who cannot seem to stay healthy, but the Pelicans seem committed to the 25-year-old. New president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has hammered the idea that Williamson is still their franchise player, but is that a mistake?
In a recent episode of Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective podcast, NBA insiders Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and Tim MacMahon talk about the Pelicans' situation with Williamson, including an interesting nugget about his off-the-court situation.
"Real quick on New Orleans, there's still the, 'Hey, what's up with Zion? Is this a guy you're building around? Is this a guy you can get value for?' " MacMahon said.
"There remains off-court stuff," Windhorst chimed in.
"Yeah, there's just not a lot of clarity in general there," Bontemps replied.
Williamson had a recent legal issue, where he was sued for rape and abuse allegations, along with complaints last season that he has not been taking care of himself off the court and is not staying in shape. At one point last season, the Pelicans even suspended Williamson for a game for violating team policies.
The Pelicans desperately need Williamson to figure things out off the court, because they need him to thrive on the court if they want to be a successful franchise.