Zion Williamson Wants to Shoot Now. The Pelicans' Season Hinges on Whether He Can.

Zion Williamson has spent seven years letting other people talk for him. That ended this week.

"I'm not where I need to be," Williamson told reporters ahead of his eighth NBA season, a rare admission from a player who entered the league as one of the most hyped prospects in modern history. He didn't elaborate much — the smile stayed, the answer stayed short — but the follow-up reporting filled in the rest. The Athletic detailed Williamson's work with new trainer Kris Chrisp, noting that in previous years his silence allowed doubters to fill the void with negativity. That dynamic is apparently changing.

That's the most compelling Pelicans story of the week, and it isn't really about a soundbite. It's about whether New Orleans finally gets a version of Williamson that can carry a roster that has otherwise spent the offseason standing still.

The Shooting Question Is Real

At media day, Joe Dumars challenged Williamson to become a floor spacer — a genuine shooter, not just a downhill wrecking ball. The numbers explain why that's a heavy ask. Last season Williamson averaged 21.0 points on 60.0% shooting with 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists across 62 games, but he attempted roughly 0.06 three-pointers per game. Across 62 appearances, that's about four total attempts. He has never been a spacer, and asking him to become one is not a small project.

There's a counterweight, though. FanSided's Pelican Debrief noted that Yves Missi's development as a ball-handler and floor-spacer could add a new layer to the offense around Williamson — a partial workaround if Williamson's jumper never arrives. The broader concern, raised elsewhere, is that New Orleans still hasn't surrounded Williamson with enough shooting to unlock his best tool: elite playmaking out of the paint.

What Actually Matters for the Season

The Pelicans are coming off a 26-56 season in which they scored 115.5 points per game and surrendered 120.0 — a minus-4.5 differential. They finished the year with the league's 21st-ranked net rating, and their power rating sits 20th at minus-3.5 in neutral-field terms, with the market's posted win total at 27.5. That's the frame: this is a team projected to be a lottery outfit again, not a sleeper.

Which is why Williamson's availability is the whole ballgame. He appeared in 62 games last season, and the weight watch is officially on after he reportedly completed the conditioning challenge Dumars set for him. If he stays on the floor, the Pelicans have a top-tier interior scorer and a healthy Dejounte Murray — something fans have waited two seasons and three offseasons to see. If he doesn't, nothing else on this roster moves the needle.

The front office's indecision is the other thread. New Orleans reportedly missed its window to sell Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones at peak value, and trade chatter around both wings has continued into late September. That matters for how this season is evaluated: a 27-win projection with two desirable trade assets still on the roster looks less like a plan and more like a holding pattern.

New Orleans opens the regular season at home against Indiana on Oct. 21, with preseason starting Oct. 6 in Oklahoma City. By then we'll know whether Williamson's new trainer and new mindset represent a real turn — or just the most honest thing a Pelican has said in years.