The New Orleans Pelicans have had quite the roller coaster season so far. After Zion Williamson missed the entire 2021-22 NBA season, he returned to the court and ignited a fire in the camp. He led the Pelicans to as far as the top seed in the West before he, unfortunately, suffered a hamstring injury, ruling him out since early January.
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As of now, the Pelicans have fallen to the 7th seed, with a 29-27 record. Brandon Ingram returned from injury, and has been playing well with CJ McCollum to put the Pelicans on a three-game win streak.
Zion Williamson earned his first All-Star starter selection this year, but will miss the festivities due to his injury. However, the Pelicans hope he returns after the break and can help the team propel to a playoff spot.
Before he returns to the court, SLAM took the Pelicans trio for a fun game of “Point ’em Out.”
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Zion Williamson expresses love for Dallas right after Kyrie-Luka pairing
Despite initial concerns, Zion Williamson has taken well to CJ McCollum’s presence in New Orleans. The duo has been pairing well, both on and off the court. In the recent SLAM NBA interview, they sat down with Brandon Ingram for a game of Point ’em Out.
We got to know about CJ McCollum’s affection for Yoga, Pickleball and going out to places alone. We heard about Zion and CJ’s pets, team dinners, and a lot more. However, something that caught our attention was when the trio was asked to name the cities the best cities according to them.
BI started and said, “Miami and L.A. New York, Toronto.”
CJ added, “Toronto is a solid city. Great food.”
Zion then said,
“Toronto, New York, and Dallas. Dallas is amazing, don’t care what nobody tell you, it’s amazing. I don’t wanna be there, but it’s amazing.”
Welp, that was a close one. The laugh on BI and CJ’s faces tells us there is an inside joke, but I guess that will just stay between the teammates. Imagine if Zion felt like forcing a trade too and then pairing up with the newly formed duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic in Dallas.
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Can Zion lead the Pelicans to a playoff berth?
In the 29 games he played this season, Zion averaged 26 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. These numbers helped the 1st pick in the 2019 Draft get selected as an All-Star starter. Along with his own numbers, what mattered more was the positive impact Zion had on his teammates.
Williamson has a +/- of +149 this season. This just goes to show how much better the Pels are when he’s on the floor. If he returns to the team after the All-Star break and is healthy, Zion will play an integral part in taking the Pelicans back to the playoffs.
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