The New Orleans Pelicans drafted former Duke basketball freshman superstar Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, thinking they were getting one of the greatest talents coming out of college that the league had ever seen. And well, through five seasons, Williamson has shown that he has the skill and build to be an all-time great, but he's been completely unreliable across most of his career. Injuries, weight issues, and some off-the-court drama have hindered any elite play that the former AP National Player of the Year has delivered. Former NBA player and current analyst Kendrick Perkins recently slammed the former Blue Devil for being detrimental to the Pelicans organization due to his unreliability.
The 2024-25 season for New Orleans was a complete disaster riddled by injuries, and it looks like the 2025-26 campaign might end in similar results. The Pelicans sit at 2-14 on the year, currently in the midst of an eight-game losing skid. Not only is New Orleans sitting in last place in the Western Conference, but Williamson has only played in seven of the team's 16 games so far. It looks like it could be another season hindered by injuries for the former top draft choice.
Kendrick Perkins rips Zion Williamson over lack of availability across career
On a recent episode of the Road Trippin' Show, Perkins ripped into Williamson for altering the future of the entire Pelicans franchise.
“Zion has completely fu—ed this organization since they drafted him, top to bottom," Perkins said. "Like, no — real talk — because you can’t depend on him. You don’t know what’s going on. It’s so many things you have to do."
It's harsh words to hear for Williamson, but Perkins has a point. Since entering the league in 2019, the two-time NBA All-Star has played 60 or more games just twice. When he's on the court, Williamson is potentially the most dominant force in the league. The issue is that it doesn't happen all that often.
On his career, Williamson is averaging 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on 58.6% shooting from the field. But what makes that almost irrelevant is that he's only played in 221 of a possible 426 regular season games, making him available only 52% of the time.
The potential Williamson possesses is unmatched, but his constant unavailability has caused frustration around the league, and he remains a top trade candidate in the media.