Zion Williamson’s summer was filled with a range of emotions as he worked his way back from a fractured foot that’s sidelined him for over a year. As he dealt with some of the mental hurdles that come with this process, one album truly tapped into how he felt at this crossroad in his career.
“The Notorious B.I.G. album. Ready to Die,” Williamson said at Pelicans media day on Monday. “That album lyrically – how he talked about stress, what he was dealing with, just feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders and you feel like you’re standing alone. That album really helped kind of shift my mindset and just find a true resolve within the game.”
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This classic album begins with a song called “Things Done Changed,” where Biggie speaks on the difficulty of learning how to adapt as the world changes around him and becomes colder. That’s a fitting description of where Williamson and the Pelicans are heading into the 2022-23 season.
Last season, life was much easier for this group. With Williamson out of the lineup, very few people thought they could be competitive in the Western Conference. Just getting into the Play-In Tournament as a No. 10 seed was a monumental accomplishment, considering how much they had to overcome.
They’re about to enter a whole new world this season.
Expectations are through the roof in New Orleans with Williamson coming back to play with Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and a roster filled with young talent. Sneaking into the playoffs is no longer an option. If they don’t produce one of the most successful seasons in franchise history, many within the fan base will consider this season a failure.
Considering how bleak the outlook was on media day a year ago, the franchise has come a long way. But that doesn’t make the spotlight they’ll be under any easier to handle.
And this isn’t just the kind of spotlight that comes with having a superstar like Williamson on the roster. The Pelicans have the potential to become a real threat in the West if all the pieces come together the way they hope.
The pressure to live up to that potential will be something they’ll have to deal with on a nightly basis. Failure to reach that standard will result in more criticism than this group had to endure at any point last season.
David Griffin, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations, said on Monday that he has faith in his team’s ability to respond to that pressure and views this as a crucial stage in their development.
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“Winning for the first time when you have expectations is a big deal. And I think this is the first time the external expectations have reached what our own internal expectations have been. That’s a big deal,” he said. “That’s a really important time. What that represents for us is something very special. We’re going to learn a lot about this group.”
The expectations Williamson is dealing with will be what truly defines this season. After missing 141 games in the first three seasons of his career, Williamson will be judged constantly on how he handles the pressure of being the face of a franchise on the rise. Considering how dominant he’s looked in the past, his presence alone transforms this team from a young, feisty group to a bonafide contender.
Williamson’s approach to the offseason showed how much he’s taking this season seriously. His strength and conditioning coach, Jasper Bibbs, told The Athletic earlier this month that the Pelicans star went through a grueling training regimen this summer to prepare himself mentally and physically for the load he’ll have to carry this season.
Bibbs said he believes Zion’s work has resulted in him becoming “a better athlete now than he’s ever been.” Williamson, who strolled into media day with a noticeably slimmer physique, echoed Bibbs’ sentiment on Monday.
“I feel like I’m at my best right now,” Williamson said. “I feel like I’m moving faster, I’m jumping higher. I feel great.”
While Williamson’s development and his effect on winning will be a daily topic, having veterans like McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas there to cool the temperature around the team will be vastly important.
McCollum, in particular, understands the ups and downs of living up to a winning standard. He played a pivotal role on a Portland squad that made the playoffs each of his first eight seasons in the NBA. McCollum said on Monday maintaining that standard begins with not falling victim to how others view the team’s progress.
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Franchises that win at the highest level can establish an environment of accountability within the building that keeps everyone playing at a certain level. Once a team reaches that point, it doesn’t matter what anyone outside the building has to say. The wins speak for themselves.
“When you start letting the noise creep in, whether that’s good or bad, I think that’s when you’re affected individually and you’re affected as a team,” McCollum said. “There are going to be nights when you guys think we’re great and everything looks so perfect. There are going to be nights when you’re like, ‘This isn’t working.’ If you believe one way or the other, you’ve lost. You’ve just got to be consistent.”
The Pelicans aren’t hiding from these high expectations that have been heaped on them this season. They’re coming into the season with high hopes. On Monday, Williamson and Ingram both mentioned the idea of competing for championships with this group at some point in the near future. That’s a big jump for a team that’s been out of the second round once over the past decade.
But the Pelicans believe in the talent on this roster and the culture they forged during last season’s improbable playoff run. With just about everyone from last season back in the fold, there’s a level of certainty around the team they can build on what they did last season and reach even greater heights.
Pelicans coach Willie Green said he wouldn’t hesitate to lay out just how high his expectations are when speaking to the team during training camp. Reaching those lofty goals begins with everyone clearly understanding how the finish line looks.
“Last season, we were young and I’m not sure what the expectations (were) outside of our building. But this year, I know that there’s expectations. But we also have expectations for ourselves,” Green said. “I think that’s important to verbalize it. So we have an understanding of what we’re working toward, and I did the same thing last season. … Our expectations are pretty high for us coming into this season.”
In the past, high expectations coming into a season have often spelled out doom for the Pelicans as injuries or organizational incompetency usually derail them before they’re able to take that next step. But with the amount of talent this roster has and Green leading the way, perhaps Things Done Changed in New Orleans.
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(Photo of Williamson: Stephen Lew / USA Today)
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