After seven straight years of working together, All-Star center Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans decided to part ways in the 2019 NBA offseason. The Pelicans recently reached an agreement to trade Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks. The departure of “The Brow” deeply hurt most of the Pelicans’ fans, especially those who believed that he would be the player that would lead them to their first NBA championship title.
Luckily, using the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Pelicans succeeded to acquire another player who has the potential to replace Davis as the new face of the franchise — Zion Williamson. The 6-foot-7-inch forward from Duke is considered as a generational talent and has drawn comparisons to Lakers superstar LeBron James. However, in an interview with Malika Andrews of ESPN , Pelicans Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin believes it’s too early to name Williamson as the new face of the franchise.
Until Zion Williamson proves that he already deserves the title, Griffin said that the Pelicans will remain as “Jrue Holiday’s team.”
“This is Jrue Holiday’s team,” Griffin said. “Zion is going to be learning how to win at a really high level. At some point, if there is a time that the baton gets passed in terms of who is expected to carry us to win games, it will. That is not now. Let Zion be that kid. Don’t write this like he is here to save this franchise. He is not. He is here to join this family.”
“Let Zion be that kid.” https://t.co/BxA4A8R8om
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) June 21, 2019
It may be a nice thing for Holiday to hear such words from David Griffin, but he is likely aware of what is going on inside the Pelicans executive’s mind when he made those statements. Aside from challenging Zion Williamson, Griffin might want to lessen the pressure he’s carrying on his shoulders in his first year in the NBA. Griffin wants Williamson to feel that he won’t be facing the next biggest challenge of his life alone.
Anthony Davis is undeniably a huge loss for the Pelicans, but there are still plenty of reasons why their fans should be excited in the 2019-20 NBA season. Aside from Zion Williamson, the Pelicans have also acquired three young and promising talents — Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart — in their blockbuster deal with the Lakers. All those players fit well with Williamson’s timeline and if they grow together and build good chemistry, the Pelicans have a strong chance of becoming a legitimate title contender in the near future.
