4. Far Greater Defensive Firepower

The New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA this season. Their defensive rating of 112.6 ranks 26th in the league and at the very bottom among Western Conference teams. Help is on the way with Zion Williamson, though.

Something to consider is the fact that Willamson has the size to wall up any power forward in the league while having the lateral quickness to stay in front of players trying to get into the paint. This alone should yield a greater defensive impact for the Pelicans’ units that include him.

Over the Pelicans’ last 15 games, their most-used lineups feature four wing players with an uninspiring rim protector manning the middle. As one might expect, the execution has been troubling and partly that has to do with not having a great option at the four spot.

One of the keys to a highly successful defense is having a frontcourt that can make help defensive rotations at a high-level. It’s going to require a real learning process and trial-and-error for Williamson to develop a principled approach but he has all of the tools to perform in this area very well.

The anticipation skills and explosiveness Williamson displays should enable him to be quite impactful when playing the passing lanes and pressuring ball handlers. There will undoubtedly be plays when these attempts backfire, but he could make dynamic plays nobody else on the team can.

It takes almost any rookie time to adjust to the NBA level on defense. There are many things that need to be learned ranging from coverages, getting acclimated to the speed and power, and playing throughout the long season. Once Williamson gets a solid idea of these things, the results should be on full display for the Pelicans.