Zion Williamson

The brief flashes that we've seen of Williamson have been impressive. He showed he can be a dominant fantasy force during the 2020-21 season, averaging 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 61.1 percent from the field. However, injuries have been a problem. He only appeared in 24 games during his rookie season, 61 during his sophomore campaign, and he didn't play at all last season. It appeared late in the season that he might have been healthy enough to play, and there was speculation that he might try to force his way out of New Orleans at some point. Those worries have been put to rest with him signing a five-year, $231 rookie maximum contract this summer. With big money in hand, all signs point to him being ready to play at the beginning of the season. He'll have the most talented group around him yet, with Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas all in the fold. There is plenty of injury concern that comes with drafting him, and he could sit out one game of back-to-back sets to begin the season. If you want him, though, you'll likely need to spend a second or third-round selection to add him to your roster.

After a brief-but-impressive rookie campaign, Williamson improved enough as a sophomore to make his first All-Star team. The 2019 No. 1 overall pick averaged 27.0 points on an absurd 61.1 percent shooting while tallying 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 33.2 minutes. That resulted in him ranking 50th in fantasy on a per-game basis. There are still clear holes in Williamson's game -- including his poor free-throw shooting (69.8 percent on 8.7 attempts), subpar defense (0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks) and a lack of a three-point shot (0.2 makes on 29.4 percent) -- but he's so dominant as a scorer that those weaknesses aren't holding him down much. Maybe the biggest indicator of how unstoppable he can be is that he was fouled on 22.5 percent of his shot attempts -- the third-highest number last season of players who saw at least 1,000 minutes and notably above Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. Williamson also improved as the year went on, and his performances began consistently reaching elevated heights in mid-February. For example, in a 25-game stretch from Feb. 12 through April 11, Williamson averaged 29.5 points on 63.3 percent shooting, 7.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He also had 21 games with at least 30 points, plus 14 double-doubles. The sky appears to be the limit for Williamson in 2021-22. He'll still be sharing a decent chunk of the offense with Brandon Ingram and new additions Devonte' Graham and Jonas Valanciunas, but the franchise's focus has to be on making sure Williamson is happy in his role. If he can marginally improve, especially as a free-throw shooter and defender, Williamson has clear second-to-third-round upside, which is likely where he'll be drafted.

Due to a torn meniscus suffered in the preseason, Williamson's rookie debut was delayed until Jan. 22 against the Spurs. He had a fantastic performance, posting 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists in just 18 minutes. He saw under 30 minutes for the next four performances, but still averaged 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists. For the final 14 games before the hiatus of the season, Williamson saw 31.4 minutes per game and averaged 18.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals. Early in the bubble, Williamson was underwhelming but saved it towards the end by averaging 24.0 points in 24.7 minutes in his final three appearances. As impressive as his rookie campaign was, it didn't translate the same to fantasy. On a per-game basis in eight-category leagues, Williamson ranked just 91st, making strong contributions in points (22.5) and field-goal percentage (58.3), but failing to stand out elsewhere. He was especially harmful in free-throw percentage, taking 7.4 attempts per game but making just 64.0 percent. That said, if Williamson can make marginal improvements across the board while also playing minutes closer to the mid-30s, he should be able to boost his fantasy stock significantly, despite obvious flaws in his game.

The Pelicans took no chances during the 2019 NBA Draft, selecting Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick. Williamson enters the league as one of the most-hyped prospects in recent memory -- possibly going as far back as LeBron James in 2003. The Duke one-and-done averaged 22.6 points on an absurd 68.0 percent shooting, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 33 collegiate games. Williamson will be the focal point of the Pelicans' mini-rebuild in the aftermath of trading Anthony Davis to the Lakers. Williamson is a virtual lock to start from Day 1, though what his true position is at the NBA level remains somewhat of a mystery. At 285 pounds, Williamson has the bulk to play center, but his 6-foot-7 frame suggests he's more of a forward. Complicating things further, Williamson's jumpshot is a clear work in progress, and the Pelicans may have to work to put four floor-spacers around him at all times. What we do know is that he has the potential to be one of the best athletes we've ever seen on the hardwood, and there should be no shortage of gravity-defying dunks, blocks and rebounds. From a fantasy perspective, counting on the rookie to have a high floor as a rebounder, defender and efficient inside scorer seems safe. The other things -- volume scoring, passing, three-point shooting, free-throw percentage -- are cloudy.