The New Orleans Pelicans haven’t had much to celebrate during the 2024-25 season. At 16-43, the Pels have the 4th-worst record in the NBA, but on Thursday night, if only for a brief moment, fans in the Big Easy had a chance to bask in the annual promise of ‘what could be.’ Led by Zion Williamson, who notched his first career triple-double, the Pelicans earned a 124-116 win over the reeling Phoenix Suns.
After the game, Pelicans coach Willie Green touted his oft-injured and occasionally out-of-shape star, stating that Zion’s 27-point, 10-rebound, 11-assist performance was a reminder to the rest of the league of what the 24-year-old forward is capable of.
“It’s a reminder to the NBA, to the fans, to everybody,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said following the win. “This is who he can be, night in and night out. That’s what we’re all striving to accomplish as a group. We’re striving to get our best player on the floor.”
Getting their best player on the floor has been an issue for the Pelicans ever since Zion Williamson arrived. Since being selected 1st overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, Zion has played in just 206 games, and only 121 in the last two and a half seasons. He missed the entire 2021-22 season due to injury, and has been limited to only 22 contests this year. But to Green’s point, when Zion does play, his impact isn’t up for debate, even if this is the first time he’s ever reached this triple-double milestone.
“It’s funny, there have been so many times when I felt it could have happened, but I never forced the issue. Tonight, my teammates were like, ‘No, you’ve got to get it tonight.’ So I got to thank my coach and my teammates,” Zion said after the game. “These nights are big for the confidence and a reminder of who I am.”
To Zion’s point, during his five year NBA career, he’s come within either two rebounds or two assists of a triple-double on 11 different occasions.
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