2019 No. 1 draft pick, Zion Williamson, has made quite some noise this offseason. The Pelicans forward signed a lucrative contract.
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Zion Williamson had garnered the interest of every NBA team, making a name for himself, thanks to his high-flying dunks and mind-numbing slams with Duke.
The 22-year-old left a lasting impression on fans, back then. These came in the form of his stellar performances for the university.
Williamson has since, entered the NBA, and was named an “All-Star” in 2021. While he has been successful on a personal front, his franchise on the contrary hasn’t witnessed success since his arrival.
They have had plenty of rough patches, failing to fulfill their potential, thus far. A large part of their collapse was directly related to recurring injuries sustained by Williamson.
Despite making the playoffs with an improved squad, the Pelicans were eliminated from the playoffs. Williamson’s loss proved to be too significant a burden, for the remainder of his roster to carry.
Fast forward to July 2022, the Pelicans talisman signed a lucrative deal with the franchise that drafted him.
Reports claim despite being offered a large sum, Zion Williamson, will not bring half that amount in terms of on-court value!
As per FiveThirtyEight’s projections for the next 5 years, Williamson will be worth just over $89 Million. The five-year forecast is in terms of the on-court value he’d bring to the franchise.
The projection states the Pelicans star’s poor free throw, as well as his three-point shooting percentages as a reason. Although, a larger cause of concern is his unfortunate injury record.
Zion Williamson isn’t the only Pelican, who has been projected to be a negative return on investment, Brandon Ingram, falls under the same branch.
In spite of these projections, Williamson signed a deal, which guarantees him at least $193 Million. This number will increase significantly if certain metrics are met in the upcoming campaign.
The fact remains, every franchise, with knowledge about his injury woes, would offer Williamson a max contract. The potential and talent the player possess’ is generational.
