What year was Zion Williamson drafted? Finding out more

The New Orleans Pelicans made Zion Williamson the first overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft. "Zanos" played one season with the Duke Blue Devils in college, leading the team to the Elite 8 before turning pro.

Many scouts and analysts thought Williamson could have jumped straight from high school to the NBA. He was considered a freak of nature who had the body and athleticism to dominate bigger and stronger players.

In his single season with the Blue Devils, he averaged 22.6 points on 68.0% shooting. He added 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game.

Williamson became a national sensation not just by being a dominant interior force. Basketball fans went gaga over him because of his jaw-dropping highlight reels.

When the Pelicans won the draft lottery, most basketball analysts believed New Orleans would have to be insane not to draft Zion Williamson.

After trading Anthony Davis to the LA Lakers in the summer of 2019, the Pelicans went for another franchise big man. Between Murray State's Ja Morant and Williamson, they had no doubt who they would pick.

The New Orleans Pelicans' excitement and elation were quickly replaced with anxiety and uncertainty after drafting Williamson. He was diagnosed with a right knee injury three games into the preseason.

The Pelicans informed the media that it will roughly take six to eight weeks for the burly power forward to recover. He didn't play until Jan. 22, which was a month more than the conservative eight-week period the team anticipated.

Zion Williamson also battled weight issues in his first year in the NBA. He was deemed to be overweight and struggled to make an impact on the defensive. "Zanos" was nearly one-dimensional on offense, but there was almost nothing teams could do against him, particularly deep in the paint.

He played 61 games in his sophomore season and made his first All-Star game. A season later, Williamson sat out the entire year due to a broken foot.

The 2022-23 season, after a promising start, also ended up in frustration. A hamstring injury limited Williamson to just 29 games.

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Zion Williamson could be under heavy scrutiny next season

After another injury-shortened season, Zion Williamson could be under the microscope once again. Heading into the play-in tournament, Williamson told the media that he could do anything physically but didn't feel like himself.

After getting blasted for his comments, New Orleans Pelicans VP David Griffin defended the All-Star forward. Griffin clarified that Williamson was never ready to return and help the Pelicans.

Williamson is also in hot water recently after adult film star Moriah Mills accused him of several things, one of which was his failure to get himself physically in shape.

Zion Williamson's massive five-year $194.3 million contract will kick in this season. All the allegations of him not doing his best to be able to play basketball will only get louder if he's compromised yet again.

The Pelicans once held the best record in the Western Conference this season when they had a healthy Williamson and Brandon Ingram on the hardwood. They'll be hoping that they can have both forwards for at least 60 games and see how far they could go with this team.

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