Zion Williamson or Ben Simmons?
The Injuries
Both Ben Simmons and Zion Williamson have had bad injury luck in their careers. Simmons missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury and Zion missed most of his after getting hurt in the preseason.
Zion missed all of last season with a foot injury of his own and Simmons for a combination of mental health and back problems.
Zion is now reportedly at 100 percent and ready to go, while Simmons just had offseason back surgery. Williamson has looked good in recent appearances and the Pelicans must be convinced, as they just gave him a huge contract extension.
There is also a question of how much Ben Simmons really wants to play basketball, as he sat out most of the season while he was completely physically healthy, watching his team play on without him and not seeming to care much.
Zion was itching to get back out there and would definitely have joined his team in the playoffs had he gotten the green light. I also think Zion wants to be great, he wants to win and is dying to prove himself to everyone who doubted him.
I am not as sure about Simmons, though he has plenty to prove himself and is going to have to win over fans after taking some pretty bad PR over the last few years.
I hope both guys are physically and mentally ready to play next season, but I do think Zion is the safer bet when you consider all of the factors surrounding the two.