Zion Williamson is heading into his eighth NBA season with the same conversation hanging over him: the talent has never been the issue. The question has always been whether New Orleans can get enough of him on the floor, and enough out of him when he is there.
That’s where Jamahl Mosley comes in. The Pelicans’ newly hired coach said at his introductory press conference in May that Williamson still hasn’t reached his ceiling, and he made it clear he sees more than just a power forward who can bully his way to the rim.
"He hasn't even scratched the surface of things he can do," the former Orlando Magic coach said in May. "I really do believe that. And I think being able to open the floor up more for him, attacking, being able to play him in different positions, because he's an excellent basketball player with a high IQ for playmaking, for making guys around him better, knowing when to make plays and the right passes to make."
Mosley will be Williamson’s fifth head coach, but his arrival could matter most in one specific area: creating easier paths to the basket. At 6-foot-6, Williamson is built to overwhelm defenses, yet he’s also one of the league’s most-blocked players. The Pelicans’ shaky three-point shooting often packs the lane, forcing him into crowded paint touches and tough finishes against multiple bodies.
One possible adjustment is simple enough: more shots from outside the paint. That would help clear out the traffic around the rim. But even before that changes, Mosley’s system could help Williamson by generating more transition chances, where Zion can attack before defenses get set.
That was a real separator in Orlando. Last season, four Magic players were among the top 45 in transition attempts.
Williamson, by comparison, ranked 107th and averaged just a little over two transition attempts per game. That came even though New Orleans played at a faster pace than the Magic.
The Pelicans didn’t help him much there. Poor defensive rebounding and a tendency to give up paint points left New Orleans near the bottom of the league in those areas last season, and even though the team finished ninth in steals, that still didn’t translate into many easy chances for Williamson. His shooting numbers fell sharply, and he took the fewest shots per game since his rookie season.
Mosley’s emphasis on defensive accountability could also give Williamson another way to impact games: forcing turnovers and turning defense into offense. That kind of pressure would let Zion create some of his own transition opportunities instead of waiting for them to appear.
There’s also the possibility of a healthier Dejounte Murray helping the cause. Murray missed most of last season while recovering from a ruptured Achilles injury, and without him the Pelicans were short on reliable ball-handlers in the open floor.
After the team traded Jose Alvarado at the deadline, rookie Jeremiah Fears was the only true ball-handler until Murray finally made his season debut late in the year. For a player like Williamson, that was a major problem, because it meant fewer clean looks running the floor.
Williamson has again looked to be in strong shape this offseason, with his trainer posting videos on social media showing his work. New coaches bring new hope, and in New Orleans, Mosley’s arrival has opened the door to the idea that Zion’s game can still expand in ways the Pelicans haven’t fully seen yet.
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