New Orleans Pelicans: 3 reasons to go for title during Zion’s rookie deal

New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson is an injury risk

Reason #2: Zion could get hurt

The main reason the Pelicans are even in the current position they are in is complete luck.

They got lucky to get the number one pick when they had very low odds of doing so.

Not only that, they got lucky that there happened to be a generational superstar available with the first pick. If the Pels had gotten lucky this year instead, they’d have Anthony Edwards, not Zion.

But Zion has already proven to be fragile, missing most of the last season with a knee injury and then looking out of shape when he did play.

Zion looks slimmed down in recent photos, and the young man has had some bad luck, but you can’t count on him to be healthy for ten years.

The Pelicans need to go for it now while Zion is still on 20-year-old knees that could go out on him at any time.

His combination of size and sheer force means an injury is always waiting to happen and without Zion, the Pelicans suddenly look like a lottery team.

They have the opportunity to take advantage of a unique talent, a guy who you can absolutely build a title team around. Few teams have a guy like this, but he won’t last forever, and I’d hate the Pelicans to be thinking “what if” in three years if Zion ends up hurt.