New Orleans Pelicans fans have plenty of reasons to be excited for the upcoming 2024-25 season, largely due to the health of Zion Williamson.
The high-flying forward gave NOLA fans a taste of what's to come in their preseason game against the Miami Heat, rising up for the emphatic one-handed jam off the CJ McCollum lob, taking off from outside the restricted area before flushing it home.
The Heat went on to win the game 101-99 as the Pelicans fell to 1-1 in preseason. Williamson finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, adding two rebounds and two assists.
The 24-year-old is hoping to have an injury-free run this season after his 2023-24 campaign was cut short in the Play-In game against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a hamstring injury.
The Pelicans went on to defeat the Sacramento Kings in the elimination game, but were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder without Williamson.
Injuries have slowed down the first few years of his NBA career, appearing in just 184 regular season games out of a possible 410.
Last season Williamson appeared in a career-high 70 games, with averages of 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 57.0 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the 3-point line.
