How Zion Williamson ‘respectfully’ processed latest loss amid questions about Pelicans’ future with Jeremiah Fears appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New Orleans Pelicans have heard the promises before. New coach, renewed expectations, flashes of potential, and another opportunity to turn the corner. Zion Williamson has lived through enough of those cycles to know that optimism means little without results. A three-point, last-second opening night loss to Tyrese Haliburton’s Indiana Pacers (123-120) was another frustrating reminder of how difficult it has been to translate talent into victories.
Williamson is not abandoning hope after one game under Jamahl Mosley. However, the two-time All-Star is no longer interested in pretending that being competitive is the same as becoming a contender.
“I can’t even say…” Williamson told ClutchPoints before pivoting. “I feel like we are right there, like we are going to make that turn (under Mosley), but it’s tough saying it when, respectfully, I feel like we’ve dealt with that in the past two to three years. And I’ve said it before, it’s hard to win in this league. So if we want to win, (closing games) is a hurdle we’ve just got to get over.”
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That carefully chosen “respectfully” revealed plenty about Williamson’s mindset. He believes in Mosley’s vision but understands the skepticism surrounding a franchise that has repeatedly struggled to turn promising performances into sustained success. The comments reflected both hope and realism about a core that has repeatedly hovered near the Play-In Tournament line in recent seasons only to fall short, leaving the franchise stuck in the NBA’s purgatory of mediocrity cycle.
Rebuilding around the ‘next’ future is becoming an unignorable option with every loss.
Pelicans push Jeremiah Fears
Adapting to the NBA is rarely a smooth transition. Fears found out about the humiliation that comes with those very public growing pains firsthand in last year’s season opener against Ja Morant. Williamson defended the then-rookie following a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies last October, and provided some new notes after losing to Tyrese Haliburton’s Indiana Pacers to open up Year Two together.
Fears came back into this season ready to be the future, the face of the Pelicans going forward. Williamson will have the 20-year-old’s back every step of the way.
“Oh yeah, (Fears) is going to stand his ground,” Williamson smiled. “And I told him, ‘as long as I’m out there with you, you’re good man. Do whatever. Get in people’s heads. Whatever it is, I’m going to be right there with you. I’m going to protect you.’ So, that’s just the energy he brings to the game and, not just to the game, that’s who he is as a person. Like, he is a competitor who just wants to win. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again that I’m glad he is with us.”
Williamson’s message after losing to Tyrese Haliburton was unmistakable. The Pelicans cannot keep celebrating how close they are to a corner. Eventually, they have to make the turn. If Fears and Missi are truly the future in New Orleans, the responsibility for making that future different begins with the veterans surrounding them today. And that bit of insight comes from the other All-Star on the team, Dejounte Murray.
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