The New Orleans Pelicans began the 2023-24 season with a bang on Wednesday night, beating the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies by a score of 111-104. While CJ McCollum led the charge with 24 points, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram both impressed as well, combining for 42 points.

While health has prevented the league and its fans from seeing the Pelicans reach their full potential, head coach Willie Green appears to think that Zion and BI are the best duo in the Association. Yes, you read that correctly.

Via Will Guillory:

To be brutally honest, that's a crazy take from Green. I mean, Williamson has barely played over the last two seasons. Ingram is a stud, yes, but in order to be a fantastic duo, you need minutes together. Did we also forget that McCollum is the one who went off?

That being said, there's nothing saying the Pelicans stars can't be elite and mentioned among the most talented duos around. We've all seen what Zion can do at full strength. He's a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor. With BI, he has fantastic length, can shoot it at a high level, and has no issues getting inside and finishing, too.

Zion finished with an impressive stat line of 23 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Ingram meanwhile added 19 points while grabbing seven boards and dishing out six dimes. The entire starting unit finished in double figures and the defense locked it down, limiting the Grizzlies to 42% from the field and 28% from three-point land.

Williamson and Ingram have a lot of work ahead to be considered the top 1-2 punch in the NBA. What's more important is the Pelicans finding some playoff success and steering clear of more injuries.