The Lakers beat the Pelicans 133-89, and the Pelicans had a terrible performance in the game. They were outscored 43-17 by the Lakers in the third quarter, trailing by 40 points at the end of the third quarter, the players lost their fighting spirit, and the final quarter became garbage time. In addition to James' excellent performance, another important reason for the Pelicans' fiasco was that Zion was completely suppressed by James. James limited Zion's ball-handling breakaways on the defensive end, rendering him ineffective on the offensive end. While Zion and James are both gifted top-notch picks, their careers have taken very different paths. Zion's frequent injuries since entering the league and poor control of his weight have led to questions about his professional attitude.
In the first four seasons of his career, he played in just 104 games and failed to develop a new scoring tool other than scoring under the basket. In contrast, James has been in the league for two decades, and even at the age of 39, he is still at the top of his game. Zion Williamson signed a deal with the Pelicans worth 1$9.3 billion, a five-year, top-paid contract, yet his performance has plummeted. Last season, he played in only 19 games, even announced a playoff game, and was plagued by many scandals during the offseason. The Pelicans considered trading him, and teams such as the Rockets and 76ers showed interest in him, but eventually the Pelicans abandoned the idea.
After all, Zion has unparalleled physical gifts in NBA history. However, Zion started the new season without living up to his talent and, more unacceptably, on the defensive end, he was rather poor. In the game against the Lakers, due to Zion's lackluster performance on both offensive and defensive ends, the Pelicans played almost 4-on-6, making frequent mistakes on the defensive end, and on the offensive end, he almost became a roadblock for the team. The team's backwardness has led to demoralization, and Zion has been conveying negativity through body language. In the end, the team suffered a humiliating defeat in the semi-final stage.
The Pelicans may now be feeling remorse for their decision to abandon trading Zion.