The New Orleans Pelicans are looking like a team that could be a serious contender in the Western Conference.

Of course, their ability to do so will depend on the status of superstar forward Zion Williamson.

Williamson has struggled to stay healthy throughout his NBA career so far. He has played in 24, 61, 29, and 70 games respectively throughout his first four years.

Last season was the best year that the 24-year-old has had. Unfortunately, during his team’s play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he went down with yet another injury. He was unable to return for the team’s first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Looking ahead to the 2024-25 NBA season, there are big expectations once again for Williamson.

One NBA writer, Chris Dodson of ClutchPoints, has made a massive prediction for Williamson about the upcoming season. He believes that Williamson will end up playing at least 70 games and will average over 27 points per game.

During the 2023-24 season, Williamson averaged 22.9 points per game to go along with 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.1 steals. He shot 57.0 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 70.2 percent of his free throw attempts.

Honestly, those numbers are extremely high. There is a chance that he could reach them, but that doesn’t seem likely.

A more reasonable expectation and prediction would be that Williamson averages 25 points per game and plays in 70 games or more. That prediction is much more believable.

If he were to actually average over 27 points per game, Williamson would end up being a potential MVP candidate.

Obviously, when he came into the NBA, an MVP award was expected in his future. Perhaps this is the season that he starts showing what made him one of the most talked about and hyped up NBA prospects in recent history.

If he does, 27 points per game could be reasonable.

Simply staying healthy for the entire year and into the playoffs would be good enough for the Pelicans. The same kind of production that he had last season would be just fine as long as he stays on the court.

Expect to see Williamson put up a big season. New Orleans has put together a great roster, but it will all depend on the face of the franchise.

Hopefully, he lives up to the massive prediction and expectations that were listed above.