Zion Williamson is putting in a ton of work this offseason to be the best version of himself this upcoming season. Unfortunately, the New Orleans Pelicans front office didn’t do enough this offseason to maximize him going into the 2026-27 season. Argue with a wall: the best version of Zion is the one where he’s creating for his teammates. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m talking about point Zion. But rather, the version of Zion that is giving the Pelicans 5-plus assists a night because defenses are forced to double-team him, and he has shooters to kick out to.
Zion is always going to be hard to stop downhill and will always get doubled because of his skill, strength, and frame. But that ability to get to the rim with ease is so much more valuable when things are spaced out, and he’s surrounded by reliable shooting that he can dish out to.
The Pelicans finished in the bottom five in threes made last season and didn’t shake up their roster in any way that projects to improve that figure. This is a huge blow for Zion because his ability to create for his teammates is now limited.
Zion needs more spacing
When looking at the Pelicans roster, this team only has one player with a proven track record of being a high-volume, above-average threat from deep, and that's Trey Murphy III. Of course, you can say that Bryce McGowens, Saddiq Bey, and Karlo Matkovic were all convincing shooters last season. But even then, that makes three of the Pelicans' four reliable shooters bench players.
Compare that to what New Orleans had in 2023-24 when they won 49 games, and it’s laughable. That season, New Orleans had seven players who all played 55-plus games and shot 36.6 percent or higher from three. They had a co-star for Z in Brandon Ingram, who shot 35.5 percent from three, and a starting big in Jonas Valanciunas, who shot 30.8 percent from deep. Even players like Matt Ryan and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who were fill-in players when injuries happened, were effective floor spacers.
For Zion, this helped open the floor up for him to create for himself as a slasher, but also to create for the shooters he was surrounded by as a playmaker. Getting to be a high-level playmaker likely won’t be much of a thing, as most coaches will be comfortable with their team living with the Pelicans getting an open three-point look.
The lack of supporting floor spacers outside of Murphy III doesn’t just hurt Zion—it hurts Murphy III too. With him being the only real threat they have from the outside, defenses are way less likely to leave him unmarked on the perimeter when Zion is attacking.
It’s one thing to continue to say you’re invested in Zion Williamson as a franchise cornerstone; it’s another thing to make moves that show you truly believe that. And Joe Dumars’ words spoke much louder than his actions this offseason, and Zion is going to suffer because of that.
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