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There is a lot of excitement surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans this upcoming NBA season and the big reason is the anticipated return of Zion Williamson.
Williamson missed all of last season with a foot injury but has been cleared for game action. He has played in preseason so far and has drawn strong praise, but none as big as most recently from his Pelicans teammate, CJ McCollum.
In a special diary for ESPN's Andscape via Marc J. Spears, McCollum referred to Zion Williamson as having the team nickname ‘Thanos,' the Marvel supervillian known for his extraordinary powers.
“He's special. Explosive, hungry, a competitor, gamer. It's like him and two other people, 27 [points per game], 60 percent from the field. Him and two people (at age 20, James averaged 27-7-7 and Luka Doncic averaged 29-9-9) Who are those two other people? Hall of Famers,” CJ McCollum said of Zion Williamson's nickname. “So, you go to see a young kid who plays like a man, who's learning. He's growing. He's maturing. He's starting to have a better understanding of life in basketball.”
Zion Williamson last played during the 2020-2021 season in which he was named an All-Star. He suited up in 61 games for the Pelicans that year while averaging 27 points per game, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 61.1 percent from the field.
A couple of weeks ago, Williamson went viral during a Pelicans team practice during which he threw down a couple of high-flying dunks and showed off the type of athleticism he had prior to his injury.
Last season, the Pelicans made the playoffs beating the Los Angeles Clippers in the play-in tournament to earn the eighth seed in the Western Conference before bowing out in six games in the first round against the Phoenix Suns. The Pelicans hope with Williamson's return, they can build on last year.
