<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-issues-holding-back-zion-williamson-brandon-ingram');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans get real on 2 issues holding back Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Pelicans-get-real-on-two-issues-holding-back-Zion-Williamson-Brandon-Ingram.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans get real on 2 issues holding back Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-13T06:30:36-07:00">October 13th, 6:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-13T06:31:11-07:00">October 13th, 6:31am</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a New Orleans Pelicans beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-reveals-willie-greens-clear-message-on-improving-offense">New Orleans Pelicans know their weaknesses</a> with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram leading the way. A failure to close out games after holding leads in the fourth quarter and a lack of three-pointers led to another NBA Play-In Tournament gauntlet. The Pelicans survived but got swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Coach Willie Green did not shy away from questions on those issues hindering this squad’s postseason hopes yet again.</p><p>Getting Williamson and Ingram to focus on defense and foist up a few more shots from beyond the arc is just the start. Finding the right roles for sharpshooters CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy III, and Jordan Hawkins will go a long way in creating space for Williamson.</p><p>It all starts at the top, though. Green is still getting used to seeing some of those <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@NBAPelicans/videos" rel="noopener">three-pointers as good possessions </a>in the same way Ingram is finding comfort in taking them.</p><p>“I hate to be one of the guys talking about when I played but you know just growing up coaches would always tell us, ‘Don’t let them off the hook’,” Green recalled. “It was because cause you’re wide open for three and it’s like that’s not letting them off the hook. It’s wide open.”</p><p>So what is the new message now that Green is a coach?</p><p>“(As a player) I’ve got to work on that shot and I’ve got to be able to make it,” Green stated. “For me (as a coach), it’s about becoming more comfortable with knowing that those are great looks for us. Those are quality shots. It’s having our guards prepared to take those shots and take them with confidence. When they miss a couple I got to still be okay with that because, over the course of the season, it’s proven that we’re a pretty good three-point team.”</p><h2><b>Pelicans can’t stick with close-out status quo</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Brandon-Ingram-and-Zion-Williamson-regroup.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Pelicans lost over a dozen games last year after holding a fourth-quarter lead. More than a handful of double-digit cushions were squandered, costing New Orleans a top-six Western Conference spot. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-new-orleans-shots-2024-25-season">Williamson and Ingram’s offensive fit with the Pelicans</a> is just the start of the scouting report. Finding a way those two can function on defense without leaking buckets is a Big Deal in the Big Easy.</p><p>“It is definitely a focus,” Green stressed. “It starts with me talking to the team and having the responsibility of knowing that is an area where I need to improve. It’s an area we have to get on the floor and work on constantly…The more we can identify what our problems are, the more we can solve them. For me, it’s getting out in front of it. Letting (the Pelicans) know, this is where we are.”</p><p>Green knows the blueprint for beating the Pelicans was made public last season. There are larger trends at play too, which will dictate how New Orleans knocks heads with other Western Conference contenders.</p><p>“When you look at end-of-game scenarios against the top teams, they are just hunting a matchup,” Green explained. “The primetime players are watching the film. They are trying to figure out who can I take advantage of offensively. I think that’s definitely becoming a big part of those end-of-game scenarios.</p><p>“You have some teams that will put their best defender on the weakest offensive player. They’ll go roam and help to force the ball to go to that player. You have some teams that do the opposite and it is just preference. It’s (based on) what you what on and what your principles are, what your concepts are…It is going to be a group effort moving the needle in that area.”</p><p>Ingram popping off 40% from three-point range in a contract year opens up the offense and an ownership group’s wallets. Williamson becoming a hunter instead of being the hunted would certainly move the needle toward some All-NBA votes. Paired together the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-bold-predictions-after-2024-25-season-schedule-release">Pelicans can expect a playoff run</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans get real on 2 issues holding back Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-herb-jones-surprising-role-change-zion-williamson');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Herb Jones hit with surprising role change next to Zion Williamson');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Pelicans-news-Herb-Jones-hit-with-surprising-role-change-next-to-Zion-Williamson.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Herb Jones hit with surprising role change next to Zion Williamson</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-10T11:21:21-07:00">October 10th, 11:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-10T11:21:36-07:00">October 10th, 11:21am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans have endured some underwhelming seasons in recent years. While head coach Willie Green and the team have shown clear growth over the last three seasons, this organization has been unable to get over the hump and solidify themselves as threats in the Western Conference by winning a playoff series. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-dejounte-murray-cant-stop-smiling-nola-trade">After adding Dejounte Murray to a core group</a> that contains Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Herb Jones, the Pelicans are primed for a possible breakout 2024-25 season.</p><p>With key contributors like Trey Murphy III, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Hawkins, and others on the bench, there have been questions about what the Pelicans’ rotations and starting lineup will look like heading into the season. This is especially true with Jonas Valanciunas no longer commanding the frontcourt after signing with the Washington Wizards in free agency and Larry Nance Jr. being traded to the Atlanta Hawks in the deal to acquire Murray.</p><p>It is clear that the Pelicans need to address their frontcourt. More specifically, Green and his coaching staff are going to need a plan heading into the start of the season regarding who the team’s starting center will be. Well, Williamson isn’t going to be in this position, which is why the <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1844433135066546381" rel="noopener">task of being the small-ball center</a> could fall on the Pelicans’ best defensive player.</p><p>“I’m told Herb Jones is essentially going to serve as the starting center for the Pelicans,” ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed on Thursday while appearing on the Pat McAfee Show. “You look at CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, and Zion Williamson — a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, Zion’s playing the five (center position).’ Willie Green came out the other day saying he’s not the five.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Herb Jones is essentially gonna serve as the starting center for the Pelicans.”</p><p>— Shams Charania 👀</p><p>How many games will the Pels win this year? 🤔</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PatMcAfeeShow</a>)<a href="https://t.co/KTZCPLIfvR">pic.twitter.com/KTZCPLIfvR</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1844433135066546381?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>While Williamson would be the obvious choice to be the Pelicans’ starting center in the absence of Valanciunas, starting Jones in this spot is also advantageous to the team. Aside from taking pressure off Zion and maintaining his health to begin the season, having Jones down low gives the Pelicans a lot more options on how to attack offensively. In doing so, Williamson can live up to the hype of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-reveals-willie-greens-clear-message-on-improving-offense">being an elite-level offensive weapon at the power forward spo</a>t.</p><p>The only problem is that New Orleans won’t be as strong of a rebounding team, as the five-man lineup Charania and so many have detailed doesn’t have a clear rebounder. Williamson averaged 5.8 rebounds per game last season, and Ingram averaged exactly 5.0 rebounds.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-hawks-dejounte-murray-drops-truth-herb-jones-all-defense-bid">Jones is a great defender</a> and can hold his own against any player in the league, but the idea of sacrificing size in the Western Conference, which houses some of the best big men in the league like Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, and Anthony Davis, could lead to some defensive problems for the Pelicans as a whole. Then again, going small with Jones as the team’s center gives the Pelicans a lot more scoring options, especially on the perimeter.</p><p>Green has not yet revealed who will be starting for the Pelicans when they kick off the 2024-25 season against the Chicago Bulls on October 23.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ Herb Jones hit with surprising role change next to Zion Williamson

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-difference-dejounte-murray-cj-mccollum');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Zion Williamson details key difference between Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dejounte-Murray-Herb-Jones-defensive-pairing-earns-Willie-Greens-approval.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Zion Williamson details key difference between Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-08T16:25:51-07:00">October 8th, 4:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-08T16:25:51-07:00">October 8th, 4:25pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a New Orleans Pelicans beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/zion-williamsons-dominance-headlines-pelicans-preseason-win-magic">Zion Williamson-led New Orleans Pelicans wasted no time</a> in sending a message to their fans that this squad is ready for a fast start to the regular season. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-willie-green-credits-zion-williamson-preseason-success-to-conditioning">An in-shape Williamson dished out three assists</a> on the first three possessions, then hit a couple of floaters for good measure. Then Dejounte Murray moved into the offensive driver’s seat and the newest addition to the locker room wasted no time in showing off the new-look offense.</p><p>James Borrego and Green are getting more creative in New Orleans and the Pelicans are making some very noticeable changes with Murray as the starting point guard. Willie Green gave a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHIGxkDeYxI&amp;t=304s" rel="noopener">stamp of approval</a> after one game, a half really, of leading the offense.</p><p>“Love what I saw from Dejounte and his defense (with Herb Jones),” Green boasted, via the Pelicans’ YouTube channel. “I mean their ability to get steals and deflections ignite our transition opportunities. And then (Murray) can just settle the gym. He can run the pick-and-roll. He can get to his spots. You guys saw a couple of times jump up and shoot the ball. He’ll get more comfortable as we continue to progress.”</p><p>Williamson (19 minutes) and Murray (17 minutes) made the most of the midday 12:30 pm exhibition run. Still, Green had enough to elaborate on Murray navigating the pick and roll with Williamson and how it differs from last season.</p><p>“One of the things that we learned last season is when we would bring a lot of smalls and pick rolls with Zion and then they’re fives with track him. They’d meet (Williamson) at the rim,” explained Green. “So we’re trying to mix it up a little bit more (with Murray) this season and bring the fives to pick-and-rolls where (Williamson) can see him there in front of them and is not guys coming from the weak side trying to block his shots. We will continue to work on it, but we know watching film from last season. We think we can play with those groups a little bit.”</p><h2><b>Zion Williamson appreciates Pelicans PG investment</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dejounte-Murray-prepares-for-Pelicans-debut.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Pelicans gave up first-round draft pick Dyson Daniels, respected veteran Larry Nance Jr., second-rounder E.J. Liddell, and draft assets to acquire Murray. Williamson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVzUGvnVXoY&amp;t=301s" rel="noopener">appreciates the team’s investment</a> in a proper point guard, even if it does come at CJ McCollum’s expense.</p><p>“With Dejounte, I was telling about making a joke with CJ like, ‘It’s the first time in a while I’ve played with a real point guard,'” Williamson laughed. “Nah, it’s all love though. It’s just there were times CJ would try to play point and it’s like I appreciate it but I need him to score. With Dejounte, I’m setting certain screens and have to roll faster. Before with (McCollum) and (Brandon Ingram) coming off the screen it’s different. Now you have a true PG who is looking to make the pass first.”</p><p>Williamson and Murray know that one-half of preseason basketball is not the sample size to bet the house on. The All-Star duo has 82 games to get ready for an NBA playoff run. So how does Williamson feel about things so far?</p><p>“It’s just a chemistry we will build as the season goes on,” Williamson replied.</p><p>Green sounded a bit more optimistic during the postgame press conference.</p><p>“I love the fact that all the concepts that we’ve been working on in training camp, you can see a lot of carry-over, and that’s refreshing, to know that these guys are taking that information and they’re applying it,” Green said. “That’s what preseason is for, to get your group together, get them on the floor, make sure that we’re fundamentally sound.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ Zion Williamson details key difference between Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/team-usa-news-zion-williamson-ja-morant-get-urgent-message-2028-olympics');   ga('set', 'title', 'Zion Williamson, Ja Morant get urgent message about 2028 Olympics');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Zion-Williamson-Ja-Morant-get-urgent-message-about-2028-Olympics.jpg"></figure><h1>Zion Williamson, Ja Morant get urgent message about 2028 Olympics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-08T12:11:09-07:00">October 8th, 12:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-08T12:11:38-07:00">October 8th, 12:11pm</time><address><a>Benjamin Adducchio</a>Benjamin Adducchio is a journalist and writer with more than a decade of experience in covering sports news. Ben is a passionate sports fan who loves college football, basketball, and the New York Yankees.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Team USA is going to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/predicting-team-usa-womens-basketball-roster-2028-los-angeles-olympics">look much different</a> in the 2028 Olympics. With Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant likely headed to retirement by then, there will be some new faces on that squad. Two players getting a lot of buzz to fill the roster are Zion Williamson and Ja Morant.</p><p>Many analysts feel those two players are the key to the success of the Team USA 2028 Olympics basketball team.</p><p>“We will still have a great chance to win gold, but <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5825604/2024/10/08/zion-williamson-ja-morant-usa-basketball-void-pelicans-grizzlies/" rel="noopener">it won’t be easy</a>,” one USA Basketball source said, per The Athletic. “Ja and Zion need to be in the mix. Moving forward, hopefully they can get on track and stay on track.”</p><p>Williamson and Morant were both out of the mix for the 2024 Team USA squad. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/team-usa-news-tyrese-haliburton-coming-off-the-bench-for-america">That squad was loaded</a> with veteran talent, and ended up winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.</p><p>“If they (Team USA) would have called, you know, I would definitely have picked up, but I guess it wasn’t my time, which is OK,” Williamson said. “They went and went out there and brought gold home, which was great for the country. Hopefully in 2028, I’ll be ready.”</p><h2>There will be pressure on Team USA basketball to win the 2028 Olympics</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Derrick-White-celebrating-a-gold-medal-with-Team-USA-teammates.jpg"><figcaption>© Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The 2028 Olympics will be in Los Angeles, so Team USA will be defending their home floor in a way. The men’s basketball as well as women’s basketball competitions in recent Olympics have been carried by the Americans. Team USA has won gold going back to the 2004 games, when the squad took bronze.</p><p>Williamson and Morant will have a lot of talent around them in 2028. While it’s not certain if Joel Embiid will return, Team USA should still have Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, and Jayson Tatum just to name a few. Team USA fans are quite excited to see what so many younger faces will do.</p><p>There will be competition for the gold medal in the 2028 games. Serbia pushed the American squad in Paris, and former NBA star Carmelo Anthony is openly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/team-usa-news-carmelo-anthony-france-canada-warning-olympics">a fan of several other countries</a>. Even South Sudan gave Team USA all they wanted in warm-up game before the 2024 Paris Olympics.</p><p>Of course, there are still years to go before the 2028 Olympics. First and foremost, Williamson and Morant have to worry about the upcoming NBA season. Williamson is expected to be a key contributor for the New Orleans Pelicans, where he averaged nearly 23 points last season. Morant is a key part of the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging nearly 23 points in his career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Zion Williamson, Ja Morant get urgent message about 2028 Olympics

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-willie-green-credits-zion-williamson-preseason-success-to-conditioning');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Willie Green credits Zion Williamson’s preseason success to conditioning');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Pelicans-news-Willie-Green-credits-Zion-Williamsons-preseason-success-to-conditioning-commitment.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Willie Green credits Zion Williamson’s preseason success to conditioning</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-08T04:48:17-07:00">October 8th, 4:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-08T04:49:24-07:00">October 8th, 4:49am</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a New Orleans Pelicans beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Preseason games are hardly a platform for making a statement. However, it did not take long to notice <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/zion-williamsons-dominance-headlines-pelicans-preseason-win-magic">Zion Williamson was dominating to lead the New Orleans Pelicans</a> in a preseason-opening win. The Orlando Magic took an offseason of anticipation on the chin from Williamson, who had a hand in the first 11 points to start the season. It is safe to say <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-zion-williamson-utilizing-best-shot-mentality-on-offense-entering-training-camp">Williamson’s “best shot” strategy in the new-look Pelicans</a> offense is paying early returns. Coach Willie Green credited a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHIGxkDeYxI" rel="noopener">commitment to offseason conditioning</a> in the postgame press conference.</p><p>“(Williamson) had a great camp and it’s a credit to the work that he put in before he even got to camp. His conditioning is at a high level and he can take over games at any time,” Green boasted. “It was good to just put the ball in his hands and let him determine what he wants to do. We know he can get to the free throw line, get to the rim, and kick to teammates. It’s just having guys plan off him, that type of offense is pretty fun to watch.”</p><p>Three assists and two midrange floaters from the two-time All-Star in the first four minutes had Green’s squad up for most of the game. Thankfully, the Pelicans did not display some of the worst habits from last season late in the 106-104 victory. New Orleans was up 14 points with under 14 minutes to play but needed a last-second stand from the reserves to send the Smoothie King Center fans home happy.</p><p>Not that it matters much in the long run. Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, and CJ McCollum are healthy after calling it a day at halftime of at 12:30 Monday lunchtime tipoff. Only Daniel Theis from the starting five logged a minute in the second half. Green’s Pelicans have a few issues but getting Williamson on-court conditioning time was not a priority. Williamson’s commitment and ability to focus on development instead of rehabilitation this summer has been undeniable.</p><h2><b>Pelicans, Zion Williamson working with more options</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Zion-Williamson-in-the-huddle.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The offense was in good hands with Williamson. His first three assists came on the Pelicans’ first three possessions. Then came two ten-foot floaters from Williamson to break down the defensive wall around the restricted area. Murray might have been named the nominal point guard but Point Zion was running the show in the Smoothie King Center. The Magic had no countermeasures that could slow the Pelicans in the first half.</p><p>That’s the first step of progress for a team trying to play as much as possible without a traditional center.</p><p>“I just think overall it was significant to see all our guys take steps to improve, Zion included,” Green explained. “Just the maturity of this group being around them now for the fourth year. They’re all doing little things, working the margins to help us be a better team. To help them come back more prepared, more ready to attack the season.”</p><p>Williamson showed off an expanded offensive game but was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVzUGvnVXoY" rel="noopener">subdued after the win</a>. It is just the preseason after all.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ Willie Green credits Zion Williamson’s preseason success to conditioning

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-zion-williamson-utilizing-best-shot-mentality-on-offense-entering-training-camp');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Zion Williamson utilizing ‘best shot’ mentality on offense entering training camp');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Zion-Williamson-utilizing-best-shot-mentality-on-offense-entering-training-camp.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Zion Williamson utilizing ‘best shot’ mentality on offense entering training camp</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-02T16:21:29-07:00">October 2nd, 4:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-02T16:21:29-07:00">October 2nd, 4:21pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a New Orleans Pelicans beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans are in Nashville knocking off some rust during training camp but it did not take long for an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-vengeance-message-will-fire-up-fans">out-for-vengeance Zion Williamson</a> to get asked about his shot selection.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-defeat-vince-carter-dunk-contest">Williamson’s dunk-contest confidence in carrying the Pelicans</a> cannot be denied. Other options have been off the table though, to much chagrin amongst the coaching staff. Opposing teams have been building walls around the restricted area almost daring Williamson to make something work from the midrange.</p><p>Well, defenders can expect a heavier dose of those shots now that Williamson is feeling more <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-uRchRTY_M" rel="noopener">comfortable with the results</a> of shots other than dunks.</p><p>“I feel pretty comfortable in the midrange right now,” Williamson shared. “Threes is one of those, I’m a capable three-point shooter. But my mind is so used to getting the best shot, attacking the basket, but I’m going to work in the middie for sure.”</p><p>Hearing that it was easy for everyone to put a finger on the problem. Williamson is working through more of a mental block than a physical challenge at this point. The 24-year-old is realizing there is still room to grow, and grace must be given as part of the process.</p><p>“It’s telling myself it is okay to miss,” Williamson said. “That’s always been my mental hurdle ever since college. And when I miss I don’t want to feel like I’m just forcing up shots. I feel like once I get past that, which I feel like I am, but once I’m fully past it, I’ll be alright. I don’t want to feel like I am kind of settling and taking the shots the defense wants me to take. But if it’s a shot I wanted, I’m fine with it.”</p><h2><b>Pelicans’ Zion Williamson walks Great Wall of China</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Zion-Williamson-smiles-for-the-camera-during-Media-Day.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Williamson got to check off a bucket list experience walking the Great Wall of China. Getting that mental right was easy at the next step as well. China’s streetball Holy Ground was beyond “dope” according to the Duke alum.</p><p>“(Visiting China) was surreal. Dope. Lifechanging. All of the above. Especially being able to go to the Great Wall. Seeing something like that, I still cannot even fathom it. It was amazing to witness and walk the Great Wall of China. And then going to the Dongdan Court in Bejing, seeing <a href="https://radii.co/article/dongdan-basketball-china-streetball" rel="noopener">their version of streetball</a> and that basketball culture, it was dope. Seeing basketball culture across the world was a dope experience.”</p><p>Fans of the Pelicans will get only one NBA Preseason experience before Williamson welcomes Lonzo Ball’s Chicago Bulls to the Big Easy. The Orlando Magic visit the Crescent City on October 7 to break the champagne glass on the 2024-25 NBA season. Williamson might fire up a few attempts from outside of the paint but should be limited to save energy for the regular season.</p><p>That’s when the Pelicans will need Williamson’s best shots.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ Zion Williamson utilizing ‘best shot’ mentality on offense entering training camp

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-brandon-ingram-leak-lineup-plans');   ga('set', 'title', 'Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram leak Pelicans’ lineup plans');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Pelicans-news-Zion-Williams-Brandon-Ingram-leak-lineup-plans.jpg"></figure><h1>Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram leak Pelicans’ lineup plans</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-02T14:14:18-07:00">October 2nd, 2:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-02T14:14:18-07:00">October 2nd, 2:14pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a New Orleans Pelicans beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Opinions vary wildly among NBA scouts and national media personalities when it comes to the New Orleans Pelicans. Some see a team needing a starting center and a need to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-did-brandon-ingram-just-send-more-subtle-messages-to-front-office-amid-trade-rumors">move on from Brandon Ingram.</a> Others are betting on maturation and defense in expectation of a postseason run built around small-ball lineups.</p><p>The suspense with the regular season just around the corner is palpable and it goes beyond the starting lineup. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-new-orleans-shots-2024-25-season">Pelicans are still figuring out the offensive hierarchy.</a> However, Zion Williamson and Ingram have <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-uRchRTY_M" rel="noopener">leaked a few little hints</a> about how Willie Green will approach the rotations this year.</p><p>“My two cents on that, and I am excited to answer the question, would be that there are 82 games. You have got to look at who your opponent is,” Williamson explained. “You may want to go with one lineup a certain game. (The next) you may want to go with a different one. We are all pros here. We know what it is. We all want to win so whatever helps us win is what we are going to do.”</p><p>Ingram focused on specific players, including new addition Dejounte Murray.</p><p>“We’ve got another attacker to the basket so it takes the attention off of a lot of people on the floor,” Ingram said. ” We’ve got (CJ McCollum) on the wing, you got Z attacking the paint, Dejounte attacking the paint and shooting, with (Herb Jones) shooting the ball and rebounding. The attention is not going to be on just one person. We get to just play basketball.”</p><h2><b>Zion Williamson will shoulder Pelicans’ blame</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Brandon-Ingram-and-Zion-Williamson-between-plays.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Williamson did get around to talking about Murray and the rest of the Pelicans bench specifically. The 24-year-old face of the franchise laughed when discussing Murray, who had at least three steals in the open portion of training camp.</p><p>“There were times I was over on the sideline laughing because it was like ‘Man, he deflected that one too'” Williamson shared. “It is exciting (having Murray on the team). We have just got to figure it out on our end.”</p><p>Part of the Pelicans figuring out the winning formula is baked into having a deep bench and stout defense. Williamson complimented the second line but still recognized who would shoulder the blame for a subpar season.</p><p>“It is exciting but it is a new year. Last year we did have a great bench and I feel like this year we do too,” Williamson said. “It is just a matter of going out there and making things happen. I can sit here and say whatever I want to say. If we don’t make it happen (ie: win) you guys are not going to sit here and tell me we had a great bench. You are going to tell me we didn’t make it happen.”</p><p>As for how much he is feeling the pressure to live up to the hype that has followed the two-time NBA All-Star around since high school?</p><p>“Not at all. I have been in the spotlight since I was 16 so for me it’s no pressure at all. It’s just going out there and doing my part.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram leak Pelicans’ lineup plans

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/zion-williamson-pressed-about-kendrick-lamars-absence-from-summer-playlist');   ga('set', 'title', 'Zion Williamson pressed about Kendrick Lamar’s absence from summer playlist');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Zion-Williams-pressed-about-Kendrick-Lamars-absence-from-summer-playlist.jpg"></figure><h1>Zion Williamson pressed about Kendrick Lamar’s absence from summer playlist</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-01T09:29:43-07:00">October 1st, 9:29am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-01T09:29:43-07:00">October 1st, 9:29am</time><address><a href="http://designsux.com">Burtland Dixon</a>As an avid enthusiast of entertainment, Burtland Dixon is a passionate individual who revels in the magic of movies, sports, music, and pop culture. Whether it's catching the latest blockbuster, watching the marquee matchup of the week, attending live concerts, or getting immersed in the world of gaming, Burtland finds joy in all forms of entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Entertainment</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the New Orleans Pelicans geared up for Media Day on Monday, all eyes were on Zion Williamson. Given his offseason, many anticipated inquiries regarding his weight loss and fitness. However, a curveball question about his music playlist<a href="https://www.complex.com/sports/a/jose-martinez/zion-williamson-walks-out-of-media-day-over-kendrick-lamar-workout-playlist-question" rel="noopener"> caught the star off guard</a>, highlighting the unique intersection of sports and pop culture, Complex reports. During his press conference, a reporter inquired why <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/drake-cryptically-responds-to-kendrick-lamars-super-bowl-gig">Kendrick Lamar</a> didn’t feature on Williamson’s workout playlist.</p><p>The question puzzled the 24-year-old forward, who was taken aback by the sudden dive into his musical choices. “What songs would those be?” Williamson responded when the reporter mentioned specific tracks from the iconic artist. The reporter suggested “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us,” prompting Williamson to defend the choice of his summer anthems. “I hear you. But you know, you’re entitled to your opinion,” he replied, emphasizing his respect for Lamar but also expressing disbelief that he needed to justify the absence of the artist from his workout tracks. As the back-and-forth continued, Williamson decided to wrap up the conversation, walking off the stage in a light-hearted manner.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Media pressing Zion for not having Kendrick on his summer playlist 😂😂. You cant tell me that man isnt being forced on everyone for a specific agenda 😂 <a href="https://t.co/UNGT7IciPN">https://t.co/UNGT7IciPN</a></p><p>— Energy OUT NOW! (@kbrizzy_bermuda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kbrizzy_bermuda/status/1840863603278204957?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2>Zion’s Musical Taste and Summer Soundtrack</h2><p>When asked about the music that fueled his summer workouts, Williamson showcased a diverse taste, referencing classic albums that shaped his training. He mentioned Ready to Die by Notorious B.I.G. and Illmatic by Nas as staples in his playlist. He also highlighted the influence of local New Orleans rapper Currensy, stating that Currensy played a significant role in his workout mix during his training. “I feel like early, especially when I started training seriously, Currensy was heavy in the mix,” Williamson noted, showcasing his connection to his roots while also paying homage to hip-hop legends.</p><p>The playful back-and-forth over Kendrick Lamar’s absence might overshadow Williamson’s serious goals for the upcoming NBA season. His confidence remains unwavering, particularly regarding his athletic abilities. Recently, he expressed a bold prediction, claiming he would defeat the legendary Vince Carter in a dunk contest. “I’m going to give Vince his respect, but I got to take myself,” Williamson declared, acknowledging Carter’s storied legacy in the dunking world. Known for his incredible aerial displays, Carter remains a titan in the realm of dunking, particularly due to his iconic performance in the 2000 NBA Dunk Contest. Williamson’s confidence reflects his determination to showcase his skills, and he hinted at posting some impressive dunks soon, reminding fans that he still possesses a powerful dunking arsenal.</p><p>As the Pelicans prepare for the upcoming season, Zion Williamson’s mix of playful banter and serious ambition sets the tone. With a refreshed mindset and dedication to fitness, he aims to bounce back stronger, both on and off the court. As he navigates questions about music, weight, and his dunking prowess, Williamson’s focus remains clear: he is ready to bring his best game to the NBA, all while keeping his fans entertained along the way.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Zion Williamson pressed about Kendrick Lamar’s absence from summer playlist

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-defeat-vince-carter-dunk-contest');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Zion Williamson says he’d defeat Vince Carter in a dunk contest');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pelicans-news-Zion-Williamson-says-hed-defeat-Vince-Carter-in-a-dunk-contest.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Zion Williamson says he’d defeat Vince Carter in a dunk contest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-27T11:37:54-07:00">September 27th, 11:37am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-27T11:37:54-07:00">September 27th, 11:37am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When Zion Williamson came into the league with the Pelicans, he was known as one of the most explosive players that you didn’t want to be under the rim when he’s driving. Injuries have stopped him from reaching his full potential, but every once in a while, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-viral-dunk-gets-awesome-nba-advanced-math-treatment">Williamson still shows that he can get off a nasty dunk</a>. Recently, Williamson was asked who would win a dunk contest between Lebron James, Vince Carter, and Michael Jordan in their prime.</p><p>“I would have to go with prime Vince because of the power and creativity he had on his dunks,” Williamson said.</p><p>Williamson was then asked <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839723036611883079" rel="noopener">who would win</a> in a dunk contest between him and Carter, and how his dunk package is currently looking.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Prime [LeBron James, Vince Carter, and Michael Jordan]. Who wins in a dunk contest?”</p><p>Zion Williamson: “I would have to go with prime Vince because of the power and creativity he had on his dunks.”</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/overtime?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@overtime</a>)<a href="https://t.co/6db0U8OiGZ">pic.twitter.com/6db0U8OiGZ</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839723036611883079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I’m going to give Vince his respect, but I got to take myself,” Williamson said. “I got nothing but love and respect for Vince. My dunk package is crazy, I just haven’t showcased it. I think when I get back to America, I’m going to start posting a few dunks just to remind people that I still got it.”</p><p>There’s no doubt that people will enjoy seeing what Williamson can do when he posts the dunks.</p><h2>Zion Williamson looking for vengeance this season with Pelicans</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Zion-Williamson_bf76ab.jpg"><figcaption>Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Zion Williamson sounds like he’s ready for the season to start and it was obvious during his interview with the Athletic. With outside noise coming from everywhere regarding him, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-vengeance-message-will-fire-up-fans">he had a short message that should get Pelicans fans fired up</a>.</p><p>“How can I say this the right way? I’m out for straight vengeance,” Williamson said. “Not against any particular person. Just for myself.”</p><p>During the interview, Williamson noted when the shift in his career came last season, and it was when they were facing the Los Angeles Lakers in the In-Season Tournament.</p><p>“[The In-Season Tournament loss] was definitely one of the key turning points in the season, and honestly, for me as a man in my career,” Williamson said. “I’m watching [LeBron James] out here on the court, doing what he’s doing. I’m telling myself I want to be a player that has a high level of greatness — one of the greats. In that big moment, I didn’t show up. It hit me while the game was going on. I just looked up and said, ‘I didn’t show up.’ I don’t have any excuse.”</p><p>As of now, it looks like people should be expecting a different Williamson when the season begins.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ Zion Williamson says he’d defeat Vince Carter in a dunk contest

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-vengeance-message-will-fire-up-fans');   ga('set', 'title', 'Zion Williamson’s ‘vengeance’ message will fire up fans');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/0Zion-Williamsons-vengeance-message-will-fire-up-fans0.jpg"></figure><h1>Zion Williamson’s ‘vengeance’ message will fire up fans</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-26T10:07:32-07:00">September 26th, 10:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-26T10:07:32-07:00">September 26th, 10:07am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-charles-barkley-zion-williamson-weight-loss-advice-offseason">Zion Williamson has dealt with a lot of criticism</a> over his time in the league, and it looks like he’s ready to quiet the doubters and get back to dominating. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5791757/2024/09/26/zion-williamson-pelicans-offseason-workouts-trust/" rel="noopener">In an interview</a> with The Athletic, Williamson spoke about his roller coaster of a career, and at the end, he was asked what fans should expect from him as the season slowly approaches.</p><p>“How can I say this the right way? I’m out for straight vengeance,” Williamson said. “Not against any particular person. Just for myself.”</p><p>With a new outlook on his career and aiming to enter training camp at 270 pounds, Williamson should be the dominant force that everyone has been waiting for.</p><h2><b>Zion Williamson reflects on career in latest interview</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Zion-Williamson.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Zion Williamson spoke about his injuries and dealing with trade rumors as well. Last season, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-most-blame-embarrassing-nba-in-season-tournament-semifinals-loss-lakers">Pelicans advanced deep into the In-Season Tournament</a>, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><p>“[The In-Season Tournament loss] was definitely one of the key turning points in the season, and honestly, for me as a man in my career,” Williamson said. “I’m watching [LeBron James] out here on the court, doing what he’s doing. I’m telling myself I want to be a player that has a high level of greatness — one of the greats. In that big moment, I didn’t show up. It hit me while the game was going on. I just looked up and said, ‘I didn’t show up.’ I don’t have any excuse.”</p><p>Later on in the interview, Williamson talked about learning from some of the veterans on the team and how to lead on and off the court.</p><p>“[I want to] learn from [Brandon Ingram]. Learn from CJ [McCollum]. Learn from guys who have been in the league longer than me. Paying attention to their professionalism,” Williamson said. “Not even being a good teammate, just being a good brother. So when you get on the court, your teammates believe in you. They trust your work, and they trust that you’ve got them.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Zion Williamson’s ‘vengeance’ message will fire up fans

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/grizzlies-news-ja-morant-strong-2-word-reaction-post-zion-williamson-aja-wilson');   ga('set', 'title', 'Grizzlies’ Ja Morant has strong 2-word reaction to post with Zion Williamson, A’ja Wilson');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Grizzlies-news-Ja-Morants-strong-2-word-reaction-to-post-with-Zion-Williamson-Aja-Wilson.jpg"></figure><h1>Grizzlies’ Ja Morant has strong 2-word reaction to post with Zion Williamson, A’ja Wilson</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-16T22:34:32-07:00">September 16th, 10:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-16T23:10:29-07:00">September 16th, 11:10pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While playing in the pros takes most athletes away from their hometowns, they never forget where they came from. This is true, at least, for Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who sounded pleased to be in the company of New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson and two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson. All three players come from South Carolina: Morant was born there; Williamson went to high school there; and Wilson played for the South Carolina Gamecocks in college.</p><p>Recognizing this heritage, SLAMOnline posted photos of the three athletes on X, formerly Twitter. In response, Morant <a href="https://x.com/JaMorant/status/1835823805861609705" rel="noopener">quoted the original post</a> and replied, “Stamp dat!!”</p><h2><b>Ja Morant builds a legacy with the Grizzlies</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ja-Morant-guarded-by-Zion-Williamson.jpg"><figcaption>© Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Besides their shared provenance, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, and A’ja Wilson have made names for themselves in the world of basketball.</p><p>First, the Grizzlies drafted Morant second overall in 2019, hoping to find their franchise player as the Grit ‘n’ Grind Grizzlies ended their prolific run in the West.</p><p>The explosive guard out of Murray State University quickly became one of the league’s rising stars, thanks to his burst, athletic ability, and fearlessness to finish in the paint reminiscent of a younger Russell Westbrook.</p><p>Moreover, the two-time All-Star helped lead the Grizz back into the playoffs for three straight seasons, though the deepest they went was the second round in 2022, where they lost to the eventual champions Golden State Warriors.</p><p>Over that span, Morant and the Grizzlies have also built a reputation as brash young players who liked to talk, even though they haven’t really won anything to back it up.</p><p>Their overconfidence might have also rubbed players the wrong way, such as the time <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-responds-to-dillon-brooks-grizzlies-game-3">Dillon Brooks called LeBron old</a>, after which the Lakers eliminated them 125-85 in Game 6 of the 2023 first round.</p><p>Sending Brooks to the Rockets seemed to mark a new direction for the team, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-ja-morant-25-game-suspension-latest-ig-live-gun-incident">Ja Morant’s gun videos and consequent suspensions</a> also seemed to push them back. Still, a more mature Morant, with the addition of veteran Marcus Smart, should stabilize the Grizzlies and push them forward to their former spot as legitimate title contenders.</p><h2><b>South Carolina stars</b></h2><p>Meanwhile, the two-time All-Star Zion Williamson has yet to lead the Pelicans on a deep playoff run, but the addition of Dejounte Murray could help their quest. Moreover, the team seems to want to place all their cards on Williamson as they have yet to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-brandon-ingram-drops-cryptic-post-about-value-amid-contract-drama">settle an extension with Brandon Ingram</a>, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/pelicans/news/pelicans-ship-out-brandon-ingram-in-shocking-blockbuster-trade-proposal" rel="noopener">making a trade likely</a>.</p><p>On the WNBA side, A’ja Wilson scored 1,000 points in the Las Vegas Aces’ win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, becoming the first player in league history to do so in a single season. Likewise, as of Monday, she is only three boards away from breaking <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sky-news-angel-reese-breaks-wnba-record-most-rebounds-season">Angel Reese’s single-season rebounding record</a>.</p><p>Of the three South Carolina stars, Wilson is the only one with a league championship, and is now on the hunt for her third consecutive WNBA title and third MVP.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Grizzlies’ Ja Morant has strong 2-word reaction to post with Zion Williamson, A’ja Wilson

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-most-predictable-pick-best-high-school-mixtape-ever');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Zion Williamson has most predictable pick for best high school mixtape ever');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pelicans-news-Zion-Williamson-has-most-predictable-pick-for-best-high-school-mixtape-ever.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Zion Williamson has most predictable pick for best high school mixtape ever</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-11T04:49:45-07:00">September 11th, 4:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-11T04:49:45-07:00">September 11th, 4:49am</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a New Orleans Pelicans beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA stars Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), and Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic) are a few of many helping to carry on a 1990s-era tradition. The explosion of the And 1 Mixtape is still influencing the masses. Highlight videos became currency on the recruiting circuits. Brands could be created on CapCut or iMovie.</p><p>Williamson already talked about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-reveals-kevin-durant-great-trash-talker">Kevin Durant’s trash talk</a> this summer. The Duke alum also had the most confident answer when that Nike outfitted foursome <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1833659415888851411">made their picks for best-ever mixtape</a> during a recent Overtime media tour.</p><p>“I would definitely say myself,” Williamson laughed. “But you’ve got to factor in when the mixtape came out and the impact it had. So I would have to go with John Wall.”</p><p>Timing and impact. Debates about the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T) will last forever. The new generation is able to discover George Gervin just as much as Michael Jordan. Their editing skills are far more refined though, that’s why this one question got everyone smiling during a recent media session.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Who has the best high school mixtape of all time? 🤔</p><p>Zion Williamson: “I would definitely say myself…”</p><p>Jayson Tatum: “John Wall or Seventh Woods.”</p><p>Paolo Banchero: “Aquille Carr, John Wall, Andrew Wiggins, Zion.”</p><p>Luka Doncic: “D Rose.”</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/overtime?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@overtime</a>)<a href="https://t.co/6ErA9G2ok0">pic.twitter.com/6ErA9G2ok0</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1833659415888851411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Tatum also said Wall had to be on the shortlist.</p><p>“From my personal experience when I was a kid and what had the biggest impact on me,” Tatum replied, “It would be John Wall or Seventh Woods.”</p><p>“I used to get up and watch mixtapes every morning before school,” Banchero shared. “Aquille Carr, John Wall, Andrew Wiggins, Zion. Like those guys were all internet sensations in high school.”</p><p>Doncic was not as devoted to keeping track of the competition.</p><p>“(I watched) some but not much,” Doncic shrugged. “So…(Derrick) Rose.”</p><p>Williamson’s Spartanburg Day School senior year highlight reel has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYnpO03crr8" rel="noopener">been seen by millions.</a> Doncic definitely saw that one at least once.</p><h2><b>Zion Williamson’s dunk contest teases Pelicans’ fans</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Zion-Williamson-rises-up-for-a-dunk.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Williamson’s journey from a high school phenom to an NBA superstar has been an electric ride through the hoops levels. Those high school slams were nothing short of spectacular. One of the key elements that catapulted him into the limelight was those showcases of incredible athleticism and jaw-dropping dunks. Williamson pair jump-out-of-the-gym hops with a dominance not seen since Shaq.</p><p>These mixtapes not only highlighted Williamson’s skills but also cemented his status as a basketball legend even before he stepped onto an NBA court. The final step to take in the highlight cycle is the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.</p><p>Williamson <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/zion-williamson-says-hell-enter-nba-dunk-contest-only-if-hes-an-all-star" rel="noopener">teased fans last spring</a>, breaking down the exact situation that would lead him to bring a little star power to the dunk contest.</p><p>“I’ve got to do my part and make the All-Star game,” Williamson explained. “If I’m in the All-Star game, I’ll do the dunk contest. If I’m not, I’m not doing it.”</p><p>The 24-year-old was first named an All-Star in 2021 and again in 2024 but was unavailable due to a hamstring injury. Williamson averaged 22.9 points and 5.8 rebounds last season and much of the same is expected now that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-dejounte-murray-cant-stop-smiling-nola-trade">Dejounte Murray is setting up the offense.</a></p><p>Will Williamson actually participate in the NBA NBA Dunk Contest though? Pelicans’ fans will have to wait until next February to find out.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ Zion Williamson has most predictable pick for best high school mixtape ever

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-reveals-kevin-durant-great-trash-talker');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Zion Williamson reveals what makes Kevin Durant a great trash-talker');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pelicans-news-Zion-Williamson-reveals-what-makes-Kevin-Durant-a-great-trash-talker.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Zion Williamson reveals what makes Kevin Durant a great trash-talker</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-09T07:32:41-07:00">September 9th, 7:32am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-09T07:32:41-07:00">September 9th, 7:32am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson is preparing for his sixth season in the NBA. After enjoying some time in China, where <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-eye-opening-admission-china">Williamson visited the Great Wall of China</a>, Zion was candid <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1833013913685770398" rel="noopener">when asked who are the craziest trash-talkers</a> in the NBA are, as he quickly singled out Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant as one of the best trash-talkers in the league.</p><p>Noting how each star talks smack on the court, Zion also mentioned Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards when asked about the best trash-talkers in the game.</p><p>“There are different styles of trash-talking. You have Ant [Anthony Edwards]. Ant talks trash kind of directly,” Williamson said. “You have KD [Kevin Durant], who will talk trash. But KD’s trash-talking is more of like, ‘Dude, I’m just a better hooper,’ and how he goes about it is like you can’t do nothing but respect it.”</p><p>While Williamson admits he’s never got under his skin personally, he honored a third player in Dallas Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving.</p><p>“He never initiates it from what I’ve seen,” Williamson added. “But whenever someone does talk trash to him, he takes it to another gear; Kyrie [Irving].”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“What’s the craziest trash talk you’ve ever heard on the court?”</p><p>Zion Williamson: “[Kevin Durant’s] trash-talking is more like, dude, I’m just a better hooper."</p><p>Paolo Banchero: “[Patrick Beverley].”</p><p>Luka Doncic: “I can’t say.” 😅</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/overtime?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@overtime</a>)<a href="https://t.co/FkrVHBTWpy">pic.twitter.com/FkrVHBTWpy</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1833013913685770398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Zion Williamson’s body transformation is going viral</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pelicans-forward-Zion-Williamson-and-Suns-forward-Kevin-Durant.jpg"><figcaption>Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Durant, Edwards, and Irving may have trash-talked Williamson on the court, but he’s also received his fair share of criticism from folks who have ridiculed his physique throughout the course of his career. Some of these people accuse the two-time All-Star of not keeping himself in good shape, with the belief being that it was a contributing factor in his slow recovery from a foot injury that forced him to miss the entire 2021-22 campaign, and then only play in only 29 games the following year.</p><p>However, after coming off a relatively healthy season for the sixth-year star, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-body-transformation-viral">Williamson appears to be in great shape</a> after a recent photo of him went viral on Instagram. It’s safe to say that Zion <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1825014545095807378" rel="noopener">looks like he’s ready</a> for the upcoming season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Zion Williamson looks to be in GREAT shape ahead of the 24/25 season 😳</p><p> (📸 aclemsonfan4life / IG) <a href="https://t.co/bnRjEhD2D2">pic.twitter.com/bnRjEhD2D2</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1825014545095807378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Williamson played in 70 games last year, the most he’s ever played in a single season. He averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 57 percent from the floor for the Pelicans, whose season ended in a 4-0 first-round sweep against the Oklahoma City Thunder.</p><p>But with the arrival of Dejounte Murray, Pelicans fans have plenty to be excited about heading into the 2024-25 campaign, as he will form a new star trio alongside Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Murray averaged 22.5 points on 45.9 percent shooting for the Atlanta Hawks last season, and Ingram complemented Williamson with 20.8 points on 49.2 percent shooting with New Orleans last year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ Zion Williamson reveals what makes Kevin Durant a great trash-talker

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-eye-opening-admission-china');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans forward Zion Williamson’s eye-opening admission about Great Wall of China');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Zion-Williamsons-eye-opening-admission-about-Great-Wall-of-China.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans forward Zion Williamson’s eye-opening admission about Great Wall of China</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-31T19:51:52-07:00">August 31st, 7:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-31T19:59:37-07:00">August 31st, 7:59pm</time><address><a>Nick Meyer</a>Nick Meyer is a sports writer for ClutchPoints based in the Metro Detroit area. He has covered everything from Major League Baseball to the NFL, UFC, and College Football.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans are far from an NBA title contender in most people’s eyes. What they lack in rubber stamps from talking heads, they make up for in pure, unmitigated potential. Zion Williamson is the poster child for the Pelicans’ NBA title hopes.</p><p>Jovial, still quite young and bursting with potential, Williamson is far from an NBA neophyte but also far from an established championship level player. On Friday, the essence of Zion Williamson was captured in a single video. The ex-Duke Blue Devil found himself walking the brick and cut stone road of the Great Wall of China, enjoying every second along the way.</p><p>He talked about the sense of inner peace his journey brought him as he continued along his way, stopping to take a deep breath and to bring the audience along with him for the journey.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“If I lived here, this would definitely be my escape.”</p><p>Zion Williamson walking along the Great Wall of China 🇨🇳</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/brkicks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@brkicks</a>)<br><a href="https://t.co/qleuhh0gUJ">pic.twitter.com/qleuhh0gUJ</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1830054216217608468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Pelicans F Williamson’s maturity, future prospects</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Wlliamson-strides-down-the-court.jpg"><figcaption>© Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4395628/zion-williamson">6-foot-6. 284 pound</a> Williamson will team with Brandon Ingram and Coach Willie Green this season in hopes of taking a monumental leap forward in his game.</p><p>Williamson is not quite a First-Team All-NBA player just yet but he has the potential. His mindset is paramount for this coming season. The Williamson shown in the Great Wall of China video is the picture of a young player who is realizing the value of stillness. He knows that it’s the little things a player does mentally that set him apart from the competition.</p><p>Williamson needs to take a big step forward this year for the Pelicans to advance farther in the playoffs. He’s always played on raw emotion and intensity which has left his gas tank empty and his aching, at times injured body on the bench at times.</p><p>A smarter, more chilled out and relaxed Williamson can change everything. The more rest Williamson gets mentally, the fresher he will be for the games that really count. Coach Willie Green, Brandon Ingram and the rest of the Pelicans need that version of Zion Williamson.</p><p>One of the NBA’s greatest talents, many fans still get the feeling that he has hasn’t come close to living up to his potential, whether fair or not. Now is the time for Williamson to complete his offseason training, whether he trains like a madman or a monk. The Pelicans, and their fans, will be waiting to see the finished product.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson’s eye-opening admission about Great Wall of China

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-breakdancing-dunk-sends-fans-into-frenzy');   ga('set', 'title', 'Zion Williamson’s ‘breakdancing’ dunk sends Pelicans fans into frenzy');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Pelicans-news-Zion-Williamsons-breakdancing-dunk-sends-fans-into-frenzy.jpg"></figure><h1>Zion Williamson’s ‘breakdancing’ dunk sends Pelicans fans into frenzy</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-29T09:35:11-07:00">August 29th, 9:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-29T09:35:11-07:00">August 29th, 9:35am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson is going viral for a unique dunk he pulled off overseas on an NBA tour with his Jordan brand that stopped in China. The video starts with Williamson dribbling in circles while sitting at the free-throw line before jumping up and <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1829160193156088187">converting a reverse dunk</a> off the dribble, per Overtime’s X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>The NBA fans in attendance at the event went wild.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">What score would Zion Williamson get if he did this in a dunk contest? 😅</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/overtime?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@overtime</a>)<a href="https://t.co/F9USDwx44C">pic.twitter.com/F9USDwx44C</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1829160193156088187?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>NBA All-Stars Luka Doncic, Paolo Banchero, and Boston Celtics champion Jayson Tatum were alongside Williamson and the Jordan brand overseas. Zion’s “breakdancing into a reverse dunk” certainly gave the crowd a memorable moment. And for Pelicans fans, seeing <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-body-transformation-viral">Williamson in such great shape is exciting</a>.</p><p>After ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said his sources revealed <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-stephen-a-smith-claps-back-after-new-orleans-trolls-him">Zion Williamson’s eating habits were interfering with his and the Pelicans’ postseason goals</a>, Zion trolled the veteran reporter and then went to work. Averaging 23.8 points at a 54.3% clip, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game throughout the final six weeks of the regular season, Williamson was locked in and focused on securing a playoff spot for the Pelicans.</p><p>Then, his 40 points on 17-for-27 shooting (63%), 11 rebounds, and five assists led the Pelicans in a 110-106 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Play-In round of the 2024 NBA postseason, which ended New Orleans’ season.</p><h2><b>Will Zion Williamson participate in the 2025 NBA Dunk Contest?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Pelicans-star-Zion-Williamson.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>After fans clamored for an NBA All-Star to partake in All-Star Saturday Night’s main event, Boston Celtics’ Finals MVP Jaylen Brown answered the call in 2024. Then, Williamson, perhaps inspired by Brown’s underwhelming performance, entertained the idea of <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/pelicans-zion-williamson-says-he-will-only-enter-dunk-contest-if-he-makes-nba-all-star-game-132656784.html" rel="noopener">participating in the high-flying event in 2025</a>, per Yahoo Sports’ Sean Leahy.</p><p>However, Zion’s newfound interest in entering the Dunk Contest has one caveat: his name must already be on the bill for the weekend’s star-studded finale, the 2025 NBA All-Star Game.</p><p>“I’ve got to do my part and make the All-Star Game,” Williamson said. “If I’m in the All-Star Game, I’ll do the dunk contest. If I’m not, I’m not doing it.”</p><p>Williamson, a two-time All-Star, was not named an All-Star this past season but did make it in 2023 after missing the 2021-22 season with a fractured foot. He led the Pelicans with 26.0 points per game to reach his second All-Star selection after averaging a career-best 27.0 points, which earned his first in 2021.</p><p>NBA dunk champion Mac McClung beat Brown in the final round of the 2024 Dunk Contest, earning back-to-back titles. But perhaps he’s met his match in Zion. We’ll have to wait and see.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
22.9	5.8	5.0	0.7	1.1

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
22.9	5.8	5.0	0.7	1.1

Zion Williamson news

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