The Pelicans are on point

And, at the point, Zion is surging

BY DAVID THORPE

DYLAN BUELL/GETTY IMAGES

Zion Williamson hit the NBA ocean like a meteor. His initiation came on January 22, 2020—his first NBA game against the Spurs.

Tsunamis form in four stages. The first, called initiation, occurs when there’s a large and sudden disturbance of the sea’s surface: earthquake, eruption, impact. And then comes the split, where energy sends waves in opposite directions—one moving toward land, the other moving out into the deep ocean. Zion started heading toward the shores of NBA superstardom in 2020-2021, when he earned his first All-Star selection in only his second season. 

The Pelicans kept the water moving while he was recovering from injury, but now Zion is back, and we have begun the third stage of the tsunami: amplification. The squad Zion rejoined was stronger; matured by last year’s tough playoff series against the Suns, these Pelicans are hungry. 

Zion’s wave, heightened by the Pels’ momentum, is building speed as it prepares to crash upon a crowded island of NBA contenders. The only stage left is the run-up, when the tsunami crashes into shore. On Friday and Sunday, the first-place Pelicans host the second-seeded Suns with an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the Western Conference. 

They are surfing a Zion tsunami right now. It’s coming for the rest of the league, and it has the potential to wash everyone and everything away.