A slim 6% chance at the No. 1 pick materialized into the rights to Zion Williamson last week as the Pelicans snagged their second top pick since 2012. The upset victory provided a moment of Déjà vu in New Orleans. The franchise lept from a 13% chance at the top pick to the No. 1 slot seven years prior to this year’s Williamson sweepstakes, earning the rights to another consensus elite prospect, Anthony Davis. The moment could not have come at a more complicated time.
Williamson’s assumed arrival could coincide with the departure of New Orleans’ last No.