Look: No. 1 Pick Zion Williamson, Pelicans Agree to Rookie Contract

No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans agreed to a rookie contract on Monday.

The former Duke standout has the weight of the world on his shoulders, as he is already being looked toward to replace Anthony Davis as the face of the franchise. New Orleans dealt Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers in a multi-player deal that yielded Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and three first-round picks.

Winning the draft lottery empowered new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin to part with Davis since he knew Zion was on the way.

During his one and only season at Duke, Williamson was a legitimate superstar. He averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, while shooting a ridiculous 68.0 percent from the field.

Zion Williamson Highlights Alert

Zion was showered with accolades, including ACC Player of the Year, ACC tournament MVP and National College Player of the Year.

With the Pels, Williamson will look to provide the type of athleticism and finishing ability around the rim that should play well in conjunction with a backcourt that features two quality ball handlers in Ball and Jrue Holiday. The Pelicans also picked up J.J. Reddick in free agency. 

Also, while Williamson has a long way to go if he wants to develop into a deep threat as a shooter, he has the benefit of good shooters like Ingram, Hart and E'Twaun Moore around him, which should allow him to play his own game and thrive within his skill set.

Even after trading Davis, the Pelicans have the makings of a team that could challenge for a playoff spot in 2019-20 due to the depth of talent they managed to acquire via trade and the draft.

Taking his team to the playoffs as a rookie is something No. 1 overall picks like Davis, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James were unable to do, but Zion arguably has more talent around him than any of them did, and that fact should make the transition from college to the NBA a bit easier on him.