Haunted by Hope: The Collapse of the Zion Era

Daniel Waddleton

Jan 13, 2025

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On December 30, 2022, the New Orleans Pelicans closed out the year with an impressive 127-116 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite being slightly shorthanded that night, Pelicans stars CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson combined for 78 points, propelling the team to a statement win at home.

At 23-12, sitting atop the Western Conference standings, the Pelicans flipped the calendar to 2023 full of promise. They were third in the league in net rating, and top ten in both offense and defense. Zion was playing like one of the best players in basketball, with the roster -- built through savvy trades, draft steals, and piece of the Anthony Davis trade -- built perfectly around him. The future had finally arrived in New Orleans.

And then, just like that, Zion injuries his hamstring in the first game of the new year, never returning that season. Without their star, the Pelicans stumbled to a 42-40 finish, dropping to ninth in the West. Their season ended in the play-in tournament, losing to the rising Oklahoma City Thunder in the 9th vs 10th game.

While the injury wasn’t entirely shocking -- Zion had missed the entire previous season with a fracture in his right foot -- it was still a devastating blow. For a brief moment in the 2022-23 campaign, Zion and the Pelicans had become the team the front office was building towards, and that fans envisioned when the former Duke phenom was drafted.

Unfortunately, Zion and the Pelicans have never been the same. The following season, they finished seventh in the West. Zion briefly recaptured his pre-2023 form during a play-in game against the Lakers where he was brilliant, but injured his left leg with 3:13 left in a tied game. The Pelicans lost that night, were swept by the Thunder in the first round, and Zion didn’t play a single game in that series.

And now, here we are in 2025, six seasons into the Zion era in New Orleans. It’s been a tenure filled with promise that quickly turns to disappointment, none greater than the present, with the team sitting at 8-32, last in the Western Conference. And when Zion has been available this season, he's looked a shell of his former self.

He’s averaging a career-low 21.8 points per game and shooting 45.5% from the field, far below his once-dominant standards. The wrecking ball rim finisher with playmaking upside may still be in that body, but if he ever returns it's likely not be in a Pelicans uniform.

It feels increasingly clear that Zion’s future lies outside New Orleans. He has long hinted at a desire to play in a bigger market like New York, and his commitment to his conditioning has been repeatedly questioned by coaches and trainers. His defensive intensity has waned as the years pass, while his body language often suggests a disconnect with the team.

If this truly marks the end of the Zion era, it’s a heartbreaking conclusion for a franchise that appeared to pull all the correct levers when building around him. Since Zion’s impressive individual but ultimately disappointing team performance in his second season in 2020-21, the Pelicans have consistently made smart, calculated moves to construct a roster tailored to his unique skill set.

The '21 draft was brilliant. The Pelicans traded for the rights to Trey Murphy III, a 6'8 sharpshooter with defensive versatility who couldn’t have been a better fit alongside Zion. Then, selected Herbert Jones in the mid-second round, who might have been the steal of the draft. Jones has become a defensive ace for New Orleans, and even earned an All-Defensive First Team nod last season.

The Pelicans brought in Jonas Valanciunas that off-season as well, who made a lot of sense starting alongside Zion in the backcourt. He could space the floor on offense, while doing all the dirty work of rebounding and defending fives on the other end.

To address their need for a true ball handler, the Pelicans acquired CJ McCollum midway through the 2021-22 season. McCollum brought not only playmaking and creativity but also significant experience playing off the ball in Portland, an essential skill for a point guard sharing the floor with Zion and running mate Brandon Ingram.

As an added bonus, the deal also brought in Larry Nance Jr., a versatile small-ball center who complemented lineups where Zion operated as the center offensively. Those lineups with Zion and Nance as the frontcourt posted an impressive +11.9 point differential in 2022-23.

In the '22 and '23 drafts the Pelicans again made strong selections in the first round. They drafted Dyson Daniels, a versatile guard that had high defensive upside and intriguing playmaking ability, and Jordan Hawkins, who immediately came in as a great shooter.

The only move that could be deemed a mistake over this stretch was trading away Dyson Daniels for Dejounte Murray. However, it’s hard to say if Daniels would have ever flourished the way he has in Atlanta had he not be traded, given how many talented players he seemed to be behind in the rotation for minutes in New Orleans.

This team has been ravaged by bad luck, with injuries to numerous key players that have defined this era of Pelicans basketball. However, they could have weathered most of those setbacks with the roster they built had Zion managed to stay healthy.

At the end of the day, the Pelicans went all-in on a player who was not only extremely injury-prone but also appeared never fully committed to the organization. No matter how many smart roster moves you make, it’s impossible to contend when your star player has been as absent from the court as Zion has been.

Recently suspended for a game due to a "violation of team policies," it feels like the tension between Zion and the organization is reaching a boiling point. I would bet on the Pelicans pursuing a slight overhaul of the roster, moving on from Zion and trying to exorcise the demons of this era. Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, traded from the Pelicans last offseason, even hinted earlier this season that the team might be cursed.

"That organization's cursed," Daniels said. "Every year there's something new. I'm happy I'm not there anymore."

IF THERE'S ANY good news to take from the past four years of disappointment, it’s that the Pelicans still retain many of the talented players they’ve acquired in recent seasons. Combined with the potential of landing a top pick in a loaded draft, the team could opt for a roster retool rather than a full rebuild -- or, at the very least, follow an accelerated rebuild formula similar to the 2020s Rockets.

Assuming New Orleans trades Zion at the deadline or during the off-season, the team’s future would differ based on the return. But if the trade yield is underwhelming -- as seems likely given the circumstances -- we should focus on the pieces already in place.

Murphy III, Jones, and Hawkins should remain cornerstones of the team for years to come. All three are good to great two-way role players who can fit alongside virtually any lineup, providing a strong foundation of secondary pieces.

Ingram is all but a certainty to test free agency, and letting him walk may be the right call. Unless the Pelicans receive an incredible trade offer (which is unlikely), the concept of trading him just to avoid losing him for nothing is less prevalent under the new CBA.

The Clippers last off-season are proof on concept, who allowed Paul George to leave in free agency without pursuing a sign-and-trade, benefited from retaining cap flexibility and acquiring veterans they truly wanted. Locking into a bad contract for the sake of asset management is no longer a sound strategy given how much harder it is to move big contracts under this CBA.

One of McCollum or Murray will likely be traded, but the Pelicans should probably wait until after the draft to make that decision. If they land the first or second pick, they would almost certainly come away with either Cooper Flagg, a 6'8 two-way forward from Duke who does a little bit of everything, or Dylan Harper, a 6'6 big guard from Rutgers who projects as a potential offensive engine.

McCollum and Murray each offer unique strengths. McCollum is a more efficient scorer and is much more comfortable off the ball, while Murray is younger, has a history of defensive impact (granted it’s been awhile since we've seen it), and is a stronger playmaker. The decision on who stays should depend on how they fit with the Pelicans draft selection. Both guards bring value, but finding the right complement to a potential franchise-changing pick is crucial.

Even if the Pelicans don’t land a top-two pick, this draft class is deep. Any selection within the top five is likely to yield an impactful player who could help reshape the team’s trajectory. Think the 2021 draft, where all top five picks have become impact players.

Addressing the center position should be a priority in the off-season as well. This was a glaring need the Pelicans neglected last offseason, and finding the right fit could elevate the team significantly. A trade involving any of Williamson, McCollum, or Murray could bring in a quality big man, but the free-agent market also offers some intriguing veteran options.

While players like Myles Turner and Naz Reid may be out of their price range, more affordable projected candidates such as Brook Lopez, Clint Capela, or Kevon Looney could provide valuable experience and complement the Pelicans core.

There’s no guarantee this team will ever recapture the promise of the 2019 draft, or on-court excellence they showed when we flipped the calendar to 2023. However, there are still meaningful pieces in place for the future and plenty of tradeable talent on the roster.

In my opinion, the Pelicans are not a team destined to completely bottom out for years. I’m genuinely excited to see what a potential retooling could look like in a post-Zion world in the Bayou.