New Orleans Pelicans: Types of players to add around Zion Williamson

The New Orleans Pelicans are Zion Williamson‘s team, that much has been made clear.

Though Brandon Ingram already got the big deal and is also a cornerstone, Zion is a budding superstar who may end up being the best player of his generation.

Zion Williamson just passed the 50-game threshold for his career and has already put himself in elite company.

As good as Brandon Ingram has been, he does not have Zion’s ceiling (especially when you factor in defense) so the Pels should be thinking of Zion Williamson when they make future roster moves and draft picks.

So far, David Griffin and Trajan Langdon have done a middling job of this, but it has only been one offseason, so I am not going to act like this is a finished product or that we can judge every move in the most unprecedented offseason in NBA history.

What types of players should they be seeking to build around Zion Williamson? Let’s take a look.

New Orleans Pelicans: The Pels need athletic, switchable wings around Zion

The first and easiest answer is the the Pels need more size and depth on the wing.

They currently only have Brandon Ingram at small forward and don’t have a backup for Zion Williamson either.

The New Orleans Pelicans should be looking for long, athletic wings who can switch on defense and cover some of the defensive weaknesses of their two stars.

Position-less wings are the present and future of the NBA and the Pels need to get as many as they can find. They should focus on defense first and not worry about offense as much, as Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are going to keep getting nearly 60 points a game between them.

Athletic rim runners who can defend multiple spots are not easy to find these days, but the Pels should be scouring the league for them and taking as many as they can in the draft.

This is why many questioned the Kira Lewis Jr. pick when Saddiq Bey (reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week), a huge 3-and-D wing was available.

New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson needs teammates without egos

Look, if you play for the New Orleans Pelicans in the Zion Williamson/Brandon Ingram era, you are not going to have the ball in your hands much, nor get a ton of shots, it’s that simple.

The Pelicans need to find guys who are ok being role players because that is all the Pelicans really need.

I think Lonzo Ball can be one of these guys, as he has embraced his role as third banana even if his fans have not.

Even though he has not played well this season, J.J. Redick is the model of another type of player the Pels should target, veterans who want to win and don’t care about stats.

The New Orleans Pelicans should avoid middling stars who think they should be more, as they won’t be as long as Zion Williamson is running the show.

Since Zion took over at point guard, the Pelicans have had the best offense in the league, so anyone who thinks they should be getting 20 shots a game should probably be avoided, unless that person is a legitimate star like Bradley Beal.

The Pelicans need to target guys with no egos who don’t care about stats and just want to put rings on their fingers.

There should be no shortage of veteran players who fit this category and they will be lining up to play with a guy who is going to be the next superstar of the NBA.

New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson needs big shooters

I am not one of the fans who thinks signing Steven Adams was a mistake.

Even though the dividends haven’t yet paid off in the win column, the Pels needed defense, toughness and guys with adult strength.

I am also not one of the fans who thinks Zion Williamson has to play along a stretch-five to be successful, as he is proving. Also, how many of those guys actually exist?

Fans always say things like “the Pels need a center who can shoot!” Really? There are like two of them in the entire NBA. Even the mythical Myles Turner (favorite of some of Pels’ fans) shoots 32 percent from long-range.

But the Pels should be looking for tall guys who can shoot the long-range shot. They don’t have to be centers but if they can find another big who can shoot the rock, that would be great.

Nicolo Melli was supposed to be that guy and has been terrible, but that is essentially the model the Pelicans should be looking for.

My ideal lineup around Zion Williamson would be three guys who are 6-foot-7 or taller, can defend all over the place, knock down open 3-pointers and don’t have an ego about their stats.

The New Orleans Pelicans have been somewhat disappointing but Zion Williamson has been unbelievable. Now the Pels just need the team around him.