New Orleans Pelicans: Important over/unders for the starting lineup

New Orleans Pelicans: Starting lineup over/unders

Zion Williamson: +/- 65 games played

Let’s face it, there is only one number that really matters for Zion Williamson and that is games played, as he has proven himself to be dominant when he is on the floor.

One of my favorite early bets for the season is a long shot gamble on Zion for MVP, as he has that kind of talent, but for it to matter he has to be on the floor.

The magic number for games played to be considered for MVP seems to be around 65, which is a reasonable number for a guy who is returning from a serious foot injury and will obviously be under some restrictions throughout the season.

Willie Green is going to have to pick the right times to get the big man some rest, with scheduled days off during tough stretches in the schedule that have a lot of back-to-backs. This is not going to be easy, as we know Zion will want to be out there, but until he proves he can get through a whole season, he’s going to have limitations.

Williamson has never played more than 61 games in a season, his one “full” year in the league, so the smart money is probably on the under here, but if Zion is truly taking his weight and conditioning seriously, as it appears, this is the minimum we should expect from a guy who just signed a massive contract extension.

We are all hoping for the over here, and if we get it, then Zion could walk away with some hardware as MVP.