The New Orleans Pelicans superstar was named one of the 30 best NBA players for the regular season

The New Orleans Pelicans are no strangers to having star players on their roster.

With a roster that includes familiar names like CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones, the star power just keeps going.

Although these four men are stars in their own right, none of them shine as brightly as superstar striker Zion Williamson.

Williamson made a name for himself in college by being the biggest and strongest man on the court every night.

While he may not be the biggest man in the NBA, no one can question how strong he is, and he still shows that power when he regularly dwarfs the biggest of big men.

Williamson has been so good throughout his NBA career up to this point that ESPN ranked him 27th in its ranking of the top 100 NBA players entering the 2024-25 season, 30 spots higher than the previous year.

“Williamson moved up 30 spots this season thanks to his availability,” writes ESPN’s Michael Wright, “allowing the former No. 1 pick to consistently showcase his electric skills.”

The best skill is availability, and Williamson showed more of that in the 2023-24 season than in any other year of his NBA tenure.

Williamson played in 70 games, the most of his career, and scored 22.9 points on 57.0 percent shooting, along with 5.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 31.5 minutes.

But wait!

There’s more!

The Pelicans just added Murray to the roster this offseason, a true point guard capable of facilitating offense, something the team hasn’t had since Lonzo Ball in the 2020-21 season.

With a true point guard taking over, Williamson can now focus more on his scoring opportunities, breaking away from defenders and finding open lanes to drive to the basket and throw monster jams.

Provided the big man stays healthy.

While that’s a valid concern, Williamson has been working hard on his endurance by training twice a day and reducing his weight to 260 pounds this offseason, which should, in theory, put him in a much better position to stay healthy on the track .

Williamson staying healthy down the stretch is something New Orleans will need this year, because with the improvements they’ve made to their roster, they have more than a chance to improve on their 49-33 record from last year season and achieve their second consecutive playoff appearance and third in the last five years.

It looks to be a promising season for the Pelicans, and ESPN’s 27th-ranked player is sure to play a big role in it.