Pelicans’ Joe Dumars Says Talks with Zion Williamson Have Focused on ‘Responsibility’

New Orleans Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars might have watched some Spider-Man this offseason, at least if his advice for franchise player Zion Williamson is any indication.

“The main thing that I’ve talked to Zion about is just responsibility and accountability,” Dumars told reporters Monday. “What I’ve said to him is ‘with greatness comes responsibility. You don’t get to be great and not responsible.’ And so it’s just been a heavy emphasis on that. Just being accountable and responsible for what you do. It’s not enough just to be talented.”

Dumars certainly understands the accountability it takes to be great in the NBA, as he was a Hall of Fame player who won two championships and an NBA Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons.

There is no doubt Williamson has the talent to be a Hall of Famer himself, as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft can take over games with a combination of gravity-defying dunks, powerful low-post moves and timely rebounding.

Yet injuries have largely prevented him from fully living up to expectations.

He missed the entire 2021-22 campaign, played 24 games as a rookie in 2019-20, 29 games in 2022-23 and 30 games last season. He has never played more than 70 games in a single season, and questions about his conditioning have been a storyline at times in his career.

Any chance the Pelicans have at bouncing back from last season’s 21-61 effort and competing in the daunting Western Conference falls on Williamson’s shoulders. He is the clear-cut No. 1 option in the offense, and having him healthy and available is the most important thing for their season.

Dumars’ comments suggest he has made it a priority to make sure Williamson is ready to assume a leadership role within the organization.

Now it is up to the Duke product to take that to heart.

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