New Orleans Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy is pumped to have a frontcourt led by Zion Williamson and Steven Adams.

During a Zoom session with Pelicans reporters on Monday, Van Gundy essentially sent a warning to the NBA when discussing Williamson and Adams.

The Pelicans acquired Steven Adams from the Oklahoma City Thunder and then quickly gave him a two-year extension. The 27-year-old and Zion Williamson are two of the strongest guys in the NBA, so Stan Van Gundy is right when he says no one is going to be “punking” the Pelicans in 2020-21.

Williamson only appeared in 24 games for the Pelicans in 2019-20 due to a knee injury. The former No. 1 overall pick, though, was a stud when he played, as Williamson averaged 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 58.3 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from beyond the arc and 64.0 percent from the free-throw line in 27.8 minutes a night.

Adams, meanwhile, put up 10.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game for the Thunder in 2019-20. The man they call “Big Kiwi” also shot 59.2 percent from the floor and racked up 22 double-doubles.

The Pelicans missed the playoffs in 2019-20 after playing terribly at Walt Disney World during the seeding games. Van Gundy was hired to replace Alvin Gentry. New Orleans fans are certainly excited to see what he can do with the team's core of Williamson, Adams, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart.

With Williamson and Adams in the same frontcourt, the Pelicans are definitely going to make an attempt to establish themselves as an elite rebounding team. It will be hard for opponents to box out Zion and Adams and to outwork them on the glass.

If the Pelicans' initial halfcourt defense can be robust enough, New Orleans can forge an advantage on the backboard and accumulate possessions as a pathway to victory.