Pelicans: What could Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson do together?

Anthony Davis still wants traded away from the New Orleans Pelicans, but what could he accomplish alongside Zion Williamson if he can be convinced to stick around?

Despite the New Orleans Pelicans defying the odds and walking away from the NBA Draft Lottery with the #1 overall pick, it looks like Anthony Davis still wants out of town. This is unfortunate, because with Zion Williamson from Duke University soon joining the squad, this team could make major waves in the Western Conference in 2019-2020.

Still, not all hope is lost for Davis to have a change of heart. It’s still only May, and there is plenty of time between now and the start of next season for David Griffin to pitch AD on whatever future plan is necessary to get him to buy back into the New Orleans Pelicans.

Even if he can’t be swayed, there’s still the option that the Pelicans could hang onto him up until the trade deadline next February. The return that would come from a trade that late in the season would be a worse haul than any deal made this summer, but there would still be some value to extract from his contract regardless.

We’ll see what continues to unfold into this summer, but as it stands, it’s entirely possible Anthony Davis is still on the court for the New Orleans Pelicans when next season tips off. If this is the case, what could his superstar talent achieve alongside Zion Williamson, Jrue Holiday, and the rest of the team?

Gauging how good Zion will be right off the bat next year is a bit tricky. He’ll have some growing pains as a rookie, but there are plenty of examples throughout NBA history of players coming into the league at a very young age and still making a significant impact on their teams. Most recently, think of guys like Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons, Trae Young, and Luka Doncic who were all fantastic in their rookie campaigns.

Zion Williamson could be even better from the get-go. He’s the most hyped rookie since LeBron James. In his inaugural season, King James posted nearly 21 points per game with about 6 rebounds and assists to boot. These are really good numbers for anyone, let alone a 19 year old rookie.

If Zion can even come close to those numbers (and by all accounts, he can), combining that level of production with Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday’s perennially stellar stat-lines would give the Pelicans a legitimate Big 3. It’s an exciting prospect to think about.

The balance of power in the West still resides with the Golden State Warriors, but it’s unclear what that team will really look like next season with Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant both potentially leaving town in free agency. The Houston Rockets will surely still be formidable, OKC will retain Russell Westbrook and Paul George, and the up-and-coming Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers both will likely keep trending in a positive direction.

The West will still be crowded, but the New Orleans Pelicans could absolutely add to the chaos near the top of the standings. It’s still unrealistic to think they could snag the one seed, but the team could absolutely see some major growth with the talent level they’d possess, potentially allowing them to sneak into the Top 4 and earn home court advantage in the first round of the 2020 playoffs.

Really, anything could happen with this core of AD, Zion, and Jrue. The sky would be the limit if they all buy into the direction of the organization. While a title run would probably not be in the cards next year, who’s to say it couldn’t happen a few years down the road?

Sadly, we might not ever learn what Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson are capable of with the New Orleans Pelicans. If AD really does get moved this summer, we’ll forever wonder what could have been. It could be a very prosperous time for Crescent City Hoops if David Griffin can work some magic and get Davis to stick around, but regardless, Zion has the potential to take this organization to new heights whether or not AD ultimately comes along for the ride.