The New Orleans Pelicans are picking up momentum heading into the NBA All-Star break and there is plenty of credit to go around. The role players are stepping up when needed, which is far less often since former All-Stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram have been relatively healthy. The franchise stood pat at the trade deadline too, because of the trust in Williamson to play his most preferred position: Point Zion.

Williamson grew to love the game by playing point guard and third-year head coach Willie Green is finally running with the idea. The rest of the locker room is ready to tag along as well if only to see Williamson again playing with joy. After Williamson showed fans love on social media, the 23-year-old shared his appreciation for the supporting environment after the latest win.

“I enjoy (playing point guard) a lot,” stated Williamson. “You know, my teammates will tell me to be more aggressive when it comes to scoring but I'm just kind of playing chess within the game. I'm seeing how the defense is guarding me and then I'm going to pick my spots.”

“I'm glad that they trust me to do that because we have some good ball handlers on this team. For them to trust me with that role does mean a lot,” Williamson continued. “They trust me to make the right decision but they also trust me to be me when the time is right. Me and B.I. [Brandon Ingram] just have to continue to get better in those moments. When it's time to take the game over, we got to execute.”

Pelicans running ‘Point Zion' early and often

Pelicans' Zion Williamson

In the post-game press conference, Willie Green “loved” how Zion Williamson operated the offense from the opening tip to the final whistle. The strategy “makes it harder for teams to help.” Having Williamson work off the ball to begin games allowed the opposition to clog the paint, resulting in a congested offense.

“We're a really good team to start games when we give the ball to (Williamson). Then B.I. is getting open shots, CJ is getting open shots, and they've got to take them” Green said. “As the game progresses, Brandon will get (the ball), CJ will get it. They'll run some pick and roll. We'll run some sets for them but Z does a great job of setting the table for us…I loved his patience. He did a great job of finding his teammates. He missed some easy buckets at the basket that he would normally make but he just stayed with it. Eventually, you could see him start to get into a bit of rhythm in the second half. We just continued to go to him.”

Williamson agreed with broadcaster Antonio Daniels about using “forceful rhythm” to describe the game. He also tried to alleviate any worries for those anxiously watching and waiting for an assertive highlight to fawn over.

“I know there are times when you watch it, it feels like I'm not being aggressive but that's not the case at all. Our movements are aggressive. I score. I get an open shot from my teammate. Whether they're making [shots] or not, the defense at some point has to respect that I'm making that pass. [But] when it's time to get to it, I'm gonna get to it.”

The Point Zion experiment does have a few other factors to consider. The Pelicans have one fatal flaw by their own admission. Playoff basketball is a true team game, and Williamson is working with a full kit of science-bending talent. How else can some of Ingram's buzzer-beating midrange bailouts be described?

Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram sharing Pelicans scoring burdens

“It's a convo we've been having over time,” Zion Williamson shared. “Coach always says he feels like me and B.I. are the best duo in the league. If we really want to get there, we got to know how to take things over.”

The Pelicans plan to get a few wins in the NBA Playoffs, but knowing when and where to strike best comes with time. Ingram has postseason experience but Williamson is still waiting for the moment. How will the opportunity be recognized though?

“It's kind of the eye test and you can feel it,” explained Williamson. “When you are watching the game, when you're on the court, you know when there is about to be a momentum shift. You know when the opposing team is about to try and make a run. You have to do whatever you can to halt that and keep momentum on your side.”

Luckily Williamson will be flanked by one of the best supporting casts in the sport. Ingram has made only one All-Star team but is about to be paid like an All-NBA talent for a reason.

“It's amazing playing on the court with B.I.” Williamson boasted. “I mean, that dude is amazing. He does a lot of stuff where it looks like a tough shot but for him, that's just another practice shot. We just kind of know when each of us is in a rhythm and it's like nah, you got it. Some nights (Ingram) will be like nah Z, you got it. Our chemistry is growing because we've been playing on the court a lot more together.”

Ingram, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, and Jordan Hawkins have all benefitted from wide-open looks thanks to Williamson drawing all of the attention. Williamson likes options in a spread-the-love offense, not iso-heavy workloads.

“It's pick your poison,” smiled Williamson. “I'll tell CJ, Hawk, Trey, whoever it is on the court stay right there. If they send the double team then I'm going to make the right play and kick out to my shooter. If they stay on the shooter then I can go one on one.”

The strategy was on full display in a 117-106 road win by the Pelicans over the LA Clippers. Williamson ran down the thought process and how the game played out before leaving the podium.

“In the first half, collectively we were all hitting shots. The team was hitting shots. Trey was hitting, (Ingram) had it going. A few of our role players had it going so there was no need for me to force scoring. But Coach kind of talked to me and B.I. about, in those moments you got to know when to take the game over. So when I felt like it was that moment I started being a lot more aggressive with scoring.”

Williamson finished with 21 points, 10 assists, and 3 rebounds. It was the first 20-point, 10-assist double-double of his career and NBA Stats credit Williamson with 18 potential assists. If Green's Pelicans keep pushing this tactic out every night, it will not be Williamson's last. In fact, the Pelicans have four games against likely NBA Draft lottery squads before the All-Star break. The extraordinary performance against the Clippers might not be the only one this week.