"What he didn't do was take his narrative into his own hands by not speaking" - Pelicans' EVP of Basketball Operations admits organization could have controlled the narrative around Zion Williamson better

Zion Williamson signed a 5-year, $193 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, the maximum designated rookie contract extension. With an All-NBA selection, the contract balloons to $231 million.

New Orleans Pelicans' executive vice-president of basketball operations, David Griffin, spoke on Williamson's injuries and his rumored exit from New Orleans on Sirius XM:

"I think there's so many factors that come into this just internally. Forget all of the noise.

"Zion had always been very clear with us about what he wanted, what his goal-set was, he never wavered off of any of that, what he didn't do was take his narrative into his own hands by not speaking. And in the absence of facts, people will make them up ... We could've controlled the narrative a lot better"

How competitive are Zion Williamson and the Pelicans in the Western Conference?

Phoenix Suns v New Orleans Pelicans - Game Six, first-round, Western Conference playoffs 2022.

After acquiring CJ McCollum at the trade deadline in February, the Pelicans became a sleeper in the West.

The Pelicans finished the season 14-12 with CJ. They made it to the playoffs through the play-in tournament. McCollum averaged 24.3 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game and 5.8 assists per game in the regular season with the Pels. He averaged 22.2 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game and 4.8 assists per game in the first round against the Phoenix Suns.

The Pelicans gave the Suns a much harder time than expected. Their first-round performance may have been more reflective of the Suns than the Pelicans.

With players such as

The Pelicans' core of Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram may be enough to compete in the West. Jose Alvarado, Herbert Jones and Jonas Valančiūnas add some depth to compliment the rise of an inexperienced, small-market team.

However, the Western Conference should be more competitive next season. The Clippers will see the return of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, along with the addition of John Wall. The Lakers could see LeBron James and Kyrie Irving reunite. Jamal Murray will return for the Nuggets. The defending champion Golden State Warriors remain largely intact.