Since the Pelicans made that deal with the Lakers, the team has entered a rebuilding period, conducting tactical regular season drills with Ingram as the core. Meanwhile, the team drafted striker Zion Williams in 2019, and he and Ingram became the team's future hope. In the process of rebuilding the team, Brother Ball and Hart left the team one after another, and Ingram worked diligently to polish his skills in order to wait for the opportunity to come. The 20-21 season was a year of talent for Zion, who averaged 27 points per game in the regular season in his second year, which is almost an offensive output from the inside.
Just when we were expecting the team to be able to rise against the attack in the 21-22 season, Zion was unable to return because of an injury in training, and then completely missed the entire season. However, after the Pelicans received CJ in the second half of the season, they and Ingram helped the team reach the playoffs with a ninth-place record in the Western Conference, and finally beat the Spurs and Clippers to reach the playoffs. Even without Zion, the team achieved more than expected results, which were the result of ingram's gradual maturity of technology.
Ingram's performance in this series completely broke people's perception of the "parallel goods list" and re-recognized his strength. On his first playoff trip, he averaged 27 points, 6.2 boards, 6.2 assists per game, 48/41/83 per cent from three fields, and various defensively defiant mid-range projections gave us a glimpse of Durant, and Ingram was slowly cashing in on his talent. The Pelicans' minor overhauls in the offseason, coupled with the constant acting of offensive and defensive tactics, will be worth looking forward to next season.
So what about Zion? When the team was eliminated 4-2 by the Suns in the first round, Zion said: "I've confirmed I'm able to play, but I waited a few games to make sure it's safe. My plan was to surprise everyone and make a comeback in Battle Seven. But we ended up losing to the Suns in 6 games, which was just terrible! ”
Later, at the wrap-up meeting, Zion talked about his comeback, saying: "My real feeling is that watching the ball on the sidelines is terrible. I think I'm fine, I can come back this season. But the team, the coaching staff and the management decided to let me continue to rest, and they thought it was the best option. ”
It can be seen that Zion is full of confidence in the recovery of his body, and he is also fully prepared for the comeback of the seventh, but in the end, the plan cannot catch up with the changes. Perhaps considering the risk, or maybe not wanting the Pelicans' current chemistry to be disrupted, Zion remained on the sidelines. Apparently, the Pelicans are very happy with their playoffs this season, a testament to Ingram's strength in the playoffs, and the team's future seems to be clear.
The 22-23 season is the final year of Zion's rookie contract, so can he stay with the team? Salary expert Yossi Gozlan said Zion could renew a five-year, $223 million (actually$222.9 million) top-salary contract with the Pelicans this summer; even if Zion couldn't trigger the Ross clause, the top-salary contract would be 100 percent to five-year, $185.7 million. With the data he played in the second grade, this fat contract can be given to him in advance; but from the perspective of attendance, he has only played 85 games in three seasons, and most of the time he is in a state of recuperation, so is the glass attribute really worth 223 million US dollars?
If the team makes this gamble come true, it means that the team does not have much salary space to strengthen the strength of the squad, and once Zion suffers another injury, the future of the team will be in passivity. From the Little Fairy's point of view, Da could negotiate with the Zion team to give a lower contract and see how he reacts; then continue to reinforce in the offseason, finding a group of competent helpers for Ingram and CJ. If Zion refuses to renew his contract, put it on the shelves for sale, or restore him to free time at the end of next season.