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The New Orleans Pelicans have some big expectations for their 2022-23 campaign. After their unexpected run to the playoffs last season, which featured a surprisingly competitive first round series against the Phoenix Suns, the Pelicans have a lot of reasons for optimism entering this season.
New Orleans finally appears to have a consistent rotation led by a dynamic star trio that can guide them to wins on a consistent basis. There are still some holes on the roster, and they may ultimately end up preventing the Pels from reaching their goals this season, but this is the best roster the Pelicans have had in quite some time.
The key will be putting all the pieces together this season, and it's clear that there is one player who has full control over whether or not this season is a success for New Orleans. Let's identify who this key X-factor is and see why he could have such a big impact on the Pelicans upcoming season.
Pelicans X-factor: Zion Williamson
Really, there's no other choice for the Pelicans X-factor this season other than Zion Williamson. New Orleans made it to the postseason and gave the top seeded Suns a run for their money without Williamson on the court. Now that he's back, he will single-handedly control just how far the Pels can go this season.
By now, Williamson's story is common knowledge. He missed the entire 2021-22 season with a foot injury, with his rehab drawing a ton of attention from the media along the way. As Williamson's return date kept on getting pushed back, many wondered whether this was the demise of the talented young prospect.
That didn't stop Williamson from getting a rookie maximum contract extension this offseason, and he has been working hard to get himself in shape for the start of the regular season. Williamson will be good to go for the start of the campaign, and New Orleans will get to see how their roster looks built around their star forward.
Last time we saw Williamson on the court, he averaged 27 points per game on 61.1 percent shooting from the field. Williamson was still growing as a rebounder, passer, and defender, and it really felt like he was just scratching the surface of his potential. He did this all on a fairly subpar Pelicans team that didn't have the talent that this team now has.
Williamson will rejoin his partner-in-crime Brandon Ingram on the floor, but now also has CJ McCollum leading the charge in the backcourt. It will be interesting to see how the Pelicans utilize McCollum and Williamson, as they ran their offense through Williamson for stretches of the 2020-21 season. Either way, both McCollum and Williamson should make each other's lives easier on offense.
Nobody knows what to expect from New Orleans, but it's pretty much set in stone that they are going to make some sort of jump. The question is how big that jump will be, and much of that depends on Williamson. They battled Phoenix in the playoffs last season, so how far will they be able to go with Williamsom back now?
The reason Willamson is such an X-factor is because of his inability to stay on the court. Williamson has played in just 85 games through the first three seasons of his career, which isn't enough. Missing all of the previous season doesn't help, yes, but Williamson has been dealing with injury troubles from the moment he entered the NBA.
Williamson has also missed an extensive period of time while recovering from this injury. What will he look like in his return to the floor? Players don't always come back from injuries 100 percent healthy, and while Williamson is still just 22 years old, the injury to his foot could have sapped some of his ability, and he will likely be a bit rusty in his return to action.
The Pelicans season depends almost solely on Williamson. For the most part, they know what they are getting from guys like Ingram and McCollum at this point. They made things work without Williamson last season, now they have to figure out how to incorporate him into their game plan this season.
If Williamson can stay on the court and improve upon his 2020-21 campaign, the Pelicans will be in a great spot. But if he can't, things could look eerily similar to last season, which isn't what New Orleans wants. The franchise wants to take a step forward this season, and in order for that to happen, Williamson is going to have to be on the court and playing up to his potential, making him the Pelicans biggest X-factor entering the season.
