4 bold predictions for the New Orleans Pelicans next season
By Cal Durrett
Prediction #2: Williamson will play 70 games and average 25 points.
It’s normally safe to assume that a player will play at least 70 games in an 82-game season, but that’s not the case with Williamson. Williamson has had trouble with injuries since being drafted and missed all of last season with a foot injury.
Fortunately, it seems that the injury is behind him, and I expect him to be mostly healthy next season and essentially pick up right where he left off during the 2020–21 season. Williamson averaged a stellar 27 points per game while shooting an incredible 61.1% from the field.
Those are high bars to clear, especially as he works his way back, but he looks in better shape than ever before, and he could be even tougher to stop. In fact, even with a possible minutes restriction early on, he could still average around 25 points per game next season.
Better yet, he could show improvement in shooting the ball from outside, allowing him to rely less on his amazing athleticism while expanding his game. But even if he can’t, he ranked third in the NBA in free throw attempts per game during his last healthy season, but he shot just 70% from the line.
Continuing to draw fouls at a high rate but shooting around 80% from the line could do wonders for his game, jump shot or not. Overall, Williamson putting up big numbers appears to be a given, but if all goes well, he’ll be the healthiest he’s been in a long time next season as well.