The have been one of the biggest surprises in the 2024 season. For a team that coming into the season was written off as nothing more than a potential play-in contender, the Pelicans have proven themselves as a legitimate playoff threat. They currently hold the fifth seed in the Western Conference, above many teams that were originally favored to be strong playoff teams, including the , the , and the . So what's the explanation for how they have managed to hold the fifth seed in a competitive Western Conference playoff race? Is it the fact that they hold the fourth-best net rating in the league? Or is it because they've been the in the league since the All-Star break? Or maybe it's because they have the second-most blowout wins this season? It's none of the above. The answer to why the Pelicans have is because of 's availability. Last Thursday, Williamson played his 62nd game of the season, a career-high for the fifth-year forward. It marks the second time he's played above 60 games in a season, and more surprisingly, this is only the second season in which he has played more than 30 games. An Unstoppable Force Williamson excels at getting to the rim. He's leading all forwards in drives to the basket, averaging 16.6 drives per game, and generating a little over 12 points off of those attempts. His ability to get to the rim is so potent that he's constantly drawing multiple defenders. In the play below, look at how much respect is being given to Williamson. The already have dropping to prevent the drive, but they even opt to keep behind him rather than letting him rotate to Jonas Valančiūnas. Even gets drawn in to attempt the strip, but Williamson is able to power his way in for the layup and draws a foul in the process. It's not just his strength and size that makes him a menace in the paint. He's deceptively mobile and extremely nifty for a player his size. In the play below, he beats off the dribble and finishes with a crafty reverse layup over . He's just an extremely difficult player to guard. Opposing teams need to commit at least two defenders to slow him down, but even then he's often able to score. In fact, he's the most closely guarded player in the league, in which an opposing defender is within two feet of him. The resources required to slow down Williamson opens up the rest of the floor for his teammates. The Pelicans are
shooting 38 percent from open threes as a result of his gravity, and are sixth overall in three-point percentage. Over his last five games in 's absence, Williamson has demonstrated how impressive of a player he can be as the undisputed number one option. With a 29.4 percent usage rate, he's accounted for 31.4 percent of his team's points, 30 percent of his team's assists, 58.1 percent of his team's free throw attempts, and 49.2 percent of his team's fouls drawn. Point Zion An underrated aspect of Williamson's game is his . He's seen an increased usage in his role as an initiator, and you'll often see him bringing the ball up. A common set that the Pelicans run includes Williamson bringing the ball up, having another big man setting the screen, and kicking the ball out after attacking the basket. In the above play, he gets the screen from Larry Nance Jr., drives towards Kelly Olynyk, and kicks the ball out to an open , who drains the easy three. Notice how open McCollum is as a result of RJ Barrett rotating to help prevent the drive. The reason why these possessions are so potent is that Williamson tends to draw in multiple defenders, resulting in open looks for his teammates. Check out his gravity in the play below. Ivica Zubac drops near the rim to protect against the drive, and turns his back on his defensive assignment, Trey Murphy III, to help from the weak side, but that results in an open three. Ever since Williamson has taken on more of a facilitating role, he's taken the Pelicans' offense to , and it's because of the space he's able to create. As an off-ball player, he's not the most mobile. He'll either be occupying a corner or the dunker's spot, and as a result, opposing defenses can pack the paint to prevent easy attacks. By giving him more opportunities to run the halfcourt offense, he's able to drag those same defenders away from the paint, which allows him to have better-attacking opportunities and allows him to utilize his naturally good passing to find the open man. Zion Williamson Playmaking Career Stats 2024 5.0 10.0 15.0 2023 4.6 9.2 12.8 2021 3.7 7.1 9.9 2020 2.0 3.2 5.0 He's averaging a career-high in assists as a result and is creating fifteen points per game off of these assists. He's also averaging ten potential assists per game, which ranks him tenth among all forwards in the league. For a team without a true point guard, the Pelicans are able to operate due to Williamson's ability to play the role of a point forward. His ability to attack the basket, draw in multiple defenders, and find the open man has given the Pelicans a good formula to utilize for their success. Although the team isn't guaranteed a playoff spot just yet, if the Pelicans do secure a playoff berth, they , despite their inexperience as a team. It all comes down to matchups, and if they're able to match against a team without the physical tools for Williamson, his regular season success could likely translate to the postseason.