Through 66 games in 2024-25, the Pelicans are 18-48. That is the second-worst record in the Western Conference. In their last 10 games, New Orleans is 5-5 and is coming off a 127-120 win vs. the Clippers on Tuesday.
Zion Williamson had 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists against Los Angeles. After the game, TNT studio analyst Shaquille O’Neal said he was not impressed with those numbers. He wants to see Zion scoring closer to 30 points per game as a franchise player.
Shaq says anyone can score 20 points in the NBA in 2024-25
Shaq slams Zion’s 22-10-12 performance
“You giving him props for that? I need more. Anybody can get 20 points now. That’s not good enough. I’m not impressed by that”😅
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24 ) pic.twitter.com/oJENda9hH5
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 12, 2025
The Pelicans were at home on Tuesday night to face the Clippers. C.J. McCollum led the team offensively with 23 points. He was 8-16 from the field and 5-9 from beyond the arc. All-star PF Zion Williamson played in just his 27th game of the season on Tuesday vs. Los Angeles. Williamson finished the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists.
It was just the second triple-double of his career. Both have happened in his last six games. Despite having a solid overall game for the Pelicans, TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal was not impressed. He sees Williamson as a franchise player for New Orleans. O”Neal said after the game that Williamson needs to be scoring between 26-28 points on a nightly basis. In 2024-25, Williamson is averaging (24.4) points per game.
For his career, the former #1 pick is averaging (24.6) points per game. However, consistently being available for the Pelicans has been an uphill battle. Williamson has played 60+ games just twice in his career. He missed the entire 2021-22 season due to injury. Over six seasons, Williamson has played in 211 games for New Orleans. Trying to stay healthy has been the story of his career so far. The Pelicans play again on Thursday night at home vs. the Magic.
