"He's going to be in the MVP race" - Former NBA superstar makes bold claim about Zion Williamson's 2023-24 NBA campaign

NBA legend Gilbert Arenas reckons New Orleans Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson could win the MVP award this season.

Arenas, a former MVP contender during his prime, said about Williamson in the Gil's Arena podcast:

"He's going to be in the MVP race if they're winning."

Last season, the Pelicans were on course for a winning season with a healthy Williamson, winning 18 of their first 26 games. However, New Orleans lost its next four games, including the first game Williamson sat out following a season-ending hamstring injury.

Even without Williamson for the rest of the season, the Pelicans would still make postseason play, especially after acquiring CJ McCollum in a trade deadline transfer. However, they were knocked out in the play-in game by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Arenas noted that Williamson must stay healthy throughout the season if New Orleans wants to replicate its solid start and convert it to playoff basketball, something Williamson says that he's working on now.

Arenas also said that, as this is now his "day job", Williamson should be serious about playing professional basketball:

"It's like when you have a kid and you putting bubbles, bubble things on every sharp corner so you know that’s what you have to do here. The game, the first bus and all, nah! You ain't got that luxury no more.

"You get there (by) 2’o’clock (or) 3’o’clock on a 7 p.m. game to make sure your body’s prepared, make sure you're eating right. You got to do all of that for this season just to make sure you’re lasting the whole season. You're gonna have to treat this like a real 9 to 5."

---

Not a good preseason so far for Zion Williamson, Pelicans

However, based on how things are going right now for the New Orleans Pelicans, Zion Williamson is off to a decent preseason.

Williamson played limited minutes in his first game in nine months on Tuesday night but did well, with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. However, the Pelicans suffered a 122-105 loss at home to the Orlando Magic.

On Thursday night, Zion Williamson was ice-cold, only making four points, four rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes of play. The Pelicans suffered a 120-87 blowout loss to the Houston Rockets.