The Poster Child’s Departure
The future poster child for the NBA has departed from Orlando.
Zion Williamson left the NBA bubble for personal reasons that he and the Pelicans are choosing not to comment on. This article is not meant to speculate on why he left the bubble, but rather to explore the implications of his departure.
The New Orleans Pelicans have by far the easiest schedule for the 8 regular season games left to play in Orlando. Before Williamson returned this season, they were honestly an awful basketball team. They were 17-27 and had at one point gone on a 13 game losing streak. A part of these struggles is the fact that they had one of the hardest schedules to start off the season, but it’s still on excuse to play that poorly. New Orleans was on track to miss the playoffs by a landslide. However, they got hot right before Zion was about to make his return, and when he did, it just gave them another weapon to play with.
In the 19 games Zion Williamson has played this season, the Pelicans went 10-9. While that may seem average, the blame cannot be put on the rookie. Out of the 19 games, Zion only shot below 50% from the field twice, and managed to shoot above 55% 14 times. He had three 30 point games, and had 20 or more points in every game he played but three. He had 7 or more rebounds in 10 games and 3 or more assists in 8 games. Out of all these stats, however, what might be the most impressive of them all is the fact that Zion had a positive plus/minus in 14 out of the 19 games he played. If he ends up not being able to participate in some of the Pelican’s 8 regular season games, his presence will be sorely missed.
Not only will Zion’s absence be harmful to the Pelican’s success, but also to the NBA’s. If there’s one thing that’s for sure, it's that the NBA, NBA 2K, and all media outlets love Zion Williamson. He’s projected to be the face of the league for the next generation, and was recently announced to be one of the cover athletes of NBA 2K21… even though he’s only played 19 NBA games. If the Pelicans managed to steal the 8 seed from the Grizzlies, they would be facing the Lakers in round 1. Do you know how many people would tune in to watch LeBron play against the guys he traded in a playoff series? The NBA would make so much money off of it.
All I’m saying is that the NBA has a lot to gain if Zion brings the Pelicans to the playoffs, and a lot to lose if he misses time in the bubble. It will be an interesting storyline to follow. Obviously we here at Banner Town are wishing Zion and his family all the best as he tends to whatever issues he needs to, and hope he makes a safe and speedy return to play.
