The New Orleans Pelicans and Charlotte Hornets might be forever linked by their shared franchise history, but right now, they’re living in two different NBA worlds. The Hornets are on the rise, riding a seven-game win streak and showing signs of a young core coming into its own.
The Pelicans? They’re stuck in the Western Conference cellar, tangled up with the Kings and without the cushion of a 2026 first-round draft pick to soften the blow.
That means if New Orleans is going to climb out of this hole, it’s going to have to come from within - and that starts with Zion Williamson.
On Tuesday night, Zion gave us a flash of what that could look like.
With just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter against Charlotte, Williamson exploded to the rim and threw down a thunderous dunk over center Moussa Diabate. It was the kind of moment that reminds you why he was the No. 1 overall pick - sheer force, elite body control, and a vertical that defies physics.
He missed the and-one free throw, and the Pelicans ultimately dropped the game 102-95, but that dunk? That was a statement.
Zion Williamson with the POSTER over Moussa Diabate plus the foul 😤pic.twitter.com/scBdu7789x
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 2, 2026
The challenge, though, isn’t whether Zion can do that. It’s whether he can do it consistently.
Physically, he looks ready. Since returning from an abductor strain in mid-December, he’s been prioritizing his conditioning and, for the most part, staying on the floor.
That’s no small win given his injury history. But on nights like this one, when the Pelicans are desperate for a spark, they need more than flashes - they need full-blown fire.
Zion finished with 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting, adding 11 rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. He also went 4-of-9 from the free throw line, which continues to be an area that limits his offensive ceiling. The numbers aren’t bad, but they’re not the kind of production you build a turnaround around - not from your franchise cornerstone.
Trey Murphy III carried the scoring load with 27 points on 50% shooting, and while that’s encouraging, it also underlines the reality: the Pelicans need Zion to be the guy. Not just the highlight machine.
Not just the occasional All-Star. They need him to be the engine.
Coming into the game, Williamson was averaging 21.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists - solid numbers, no doubt. But “solid” isn’t going to lift New Orleans out of the basement, especially with no draft capital to fall back on.
The flashes of dominance - like that dunk over Diabate - are tantalizing. But they have to become the norm, not the exception.
Of course, this isn’t all on Zion. He’s still just 25, still producing, still a matchup nightmare when he’s locked in. But the Pelicans are at a crossroads, and their best path forward runs through him.
Next up? A Wednesday night matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that’s had its own share of turbulence this season.
If there’s ever a time for Zion to take over and remind the league what he’s capable of, it’s now. The Pelicans need more than moments - they need momentum.
And Zion is still their best shot at finding it.