When Joe Dumars was appointed as the New Orleans Pelicans' new President of Basketball Operations back in April of this year, many wondered what he had planned for Zion Williamson.
After a disappointing 2024-25 season that was packed with injuries and losses, it was expected that the Pelicans could enter a full-scale rebuild, trading away core players like Zion, Herb, and Trey. Instead, Dumars doubled down with this core and committed to building a winning team around them. Dumars has been committed to Zion and may be the person to finally get the most out of Williamson.
On Saturday, August 23rd, Joe Dumars joined the New Orleans Saints broadcast as a special guest. During his time as part of the broadcast, he had a lot to say about Zion Williamson. One of the biggest takeaways was that he said Zion views New Orleans as his home, and well, that is big news. What Dumars would say after was even more interesting. Dumars said.
"He is in really good shape... We have been challenging him like...You can't keep doing the same things that you have done in the past and expect something different." He has stepped up to the challenge so far and we're gonna keep pushing him"
The issue for Zion throughout his career has never been a lack of skill, IQ, athleticism, or anything on the court, but rather it's been his discipline that has been a problem. Now with Dumars in charge, we will see an even more motivated Zion than we've ever seen because he now has someone holding him accountable.
Having someone in your ear almost every day, reminding you of what it takes to be great in the NBA, is only going to help benefit the Pelicans and Zion.
Zion is the key to this season, and Joe Dumars understands that
Even though I've talked about other players or coaches being the key to the Pelicans' success this season, we all know none of it matters if Zion isn't healthy. Even if New Orleans has a great year and makes the playoffs, their ceiling is going to be lower without its superstar. Just like the Celtics and Pacers this season, even though both teams could likely make the playoffs, they both know they aren't title contenders because they are missing Tatum and Haliburton.
Dumars understands this, and that's why he's been working so closely with Zion this summer. He knows that if the great roster he put together has a 25-year-old two-time All-Star playing, they will be a serious threat in the Western Conference.
The reason Dumars has been working so hard with Zion is that without him, none of the moves made this summer matter. Sure, the Pelicans have fun young pieces and a decent roster, but without Zion playing 60+ games, this team would be towards the bottom of the standings again.