Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Of course, we have to have Zion Williamson on this list because how could Zion Williamson, of all ascending standouts, not be an All-Star for the New Orleans Pelicans this season?
If the Pelicans are going to have any shot at making the playoffs in a crowded Western Conference, they will need Brandon Ingram to not only play at the All-Star level he played at last season, but have Zion Williamson remain healthy and put up the numbers he did in the second half of last year.
After dealing with knee issues early on in his rookie season, Zion Williamson did not play in his first game until January 22nd, 2020 against the Spurs, where he scored 22 points, shooting 4-4 from three-point range, and grabbed 7 rebounds in 18 minutes in his debut. In his rookie season as a whole, Zion played in 24 games, averaging 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and shooting 58.3% from the floor, 42.9% from three-point range.
If Williamson can consistently knock down shots from the perimeter it is over for other teams in the league. Even though he has not played much NBA basketball, Zion Williamson is already in an elite group of NBA talent who are almost unguardable. If you put a smaller guard on Zion, he will use his strength and muscles to back them down to the paint and score easily. If you put a big man on him though, he will use his explosiveness to drive past them to the rim.
At just 20-years of age, Zion Williamson is such a mismatch in the NBA already that he could absolutely have his way in this league for a very long time. Assuming he can stay healthy, this year will be Zion’s first full year of action and he will be “must-see-TV” every time he takes the court. He is so insanely athletic that he has the potential to do something special and never before seen every time he steps out on a basketball court.
Because of his explosive abilities and the fact that he is arguably the best talent on the Pelicans roster, it should come as no surprise if Zion Williamson is named an NBA All-Star this upcoming season as this should be the first of what we expect to be many All-Star appearances for the young phenom.
