Zion Williamson Rebuilt His Shot This Summer. The Pelicans' Entire Season Rides on Whether It Followed Him Home

The New Orleans Pelicans won their preseason opener 116-110 over Oklahoma City, and the final score was the least interesting thing about it.

The interesting thing was what Zion Williamson did with the ball in his hands — and what it says about the six months he just spent rebuilding himself.

Start with the number that defines last season. In each of Williamson's final 10 games of 2025-26, he attempted zero three-pointers. Not zero makes. Zero attempts. He finished the year at 25.0% from deep on a low volume, operating almost exclusively inside a paint that defenders could wall off, and the Pelicans finished 26-56 while getting outscored by 4.5 points per game (115.5 scored, 120.0 allowed).

That is the context for everything that happened in New Orleans this summer.

At media day, executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars publicly challenged Williamson to become a floor spacer. Williamson, for once, didn't deflect — he told reporters he isn't where he wants to be as a player. The Athletic followed with a report on Williamson's work with new trainer Kris Chrisp, framing it as a deliberate break from the silence that let doubters write his narrative for him.

Then came the preseason opener, where Williamson hit three-pointers. That's a small exhibition-sample data point in a game that doesn't count, and it should be treated as exactly that. But it's also the first observable evidence that the most consequential offseason storyline in New Orleans has legs.

Why it matters beyond Williamson

The Pelicans' supporting cast actually makes the shooting question more urgent, not less.

Trey Murphy III is a genuine 21.5-point scorer who shot 37.9% from three last season. Jeremiah Fears played all 82 games as a rookie-ish contributor at 14.3 points and 3.4 assists. Yves Missi is developing into a real presence (5.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks in 19.6 minutes) and Joe Dumars has signaled a center-by-committee approach after media day. If Williamson can punish defenses that sag off him, all of those players get easier shots.

If he can't, the Pelicans are asking Murphy and Bennedict Mathurin — acquired after New Orleans shipped Jordan Hawkins, Micah Peavy and second-round draft capital to Memphis to clear the room to sign him — to generate offense against set, packed-in defenses. Mathurin averaged 17.6 points on 43.0% shooting and 31.5% from three last season. He's a scorer, not a spacer.

The Mosley variable

Jamahl Mosley arrives on a five-year deal after going 189-221 in Orlando, where he nonetheless steered the Magic to three straight playoff berths. His stated priority is unlocking Williamson, and his reputation is as a developer. That's the right hire for a roster with this much unresolved talent.

But the preseason opener poured some cold water too: the starting unit looked disconnected, and it was the second unit that impressed. Continuity was supposed to be a Pelicans strength this offseason. Game one didn't sell it.

The bottom line

The market has New Orleans priced near the bottom of the Western Conference — a win total in the 27.5 range, with a points-based rating of roughly -3.5 against a neutral opponent and a No. 20 overall ranking. Nobody is forecasting a leap.

That's precisely why Williamson is the whole story. Dumars has said the organization isn't chasing a win-total benchmark this year, focusing on "spirit" first. That's a luxury a 26-56 team can afford to state out loud. What it can't afford is another season of a 62-game Williamson who never shoots from outside.

But they're the first real signal that the biggest question in New Orleans might actually have a different answer this time.