Zion Williamson has spent the past six seasons as the face of the New Orleans Pelicans.
That role will continue for the forward whose time in New Orleans has been filled with plenty of ups and downs.
Joe Dumars, hired in April as the Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations, spoke about the plans for Williamson in an interview with The Times-Picayune on Wednesday.
"I've had really good conversations with Zion," Dumars said. "We've had lunch. Dinner. Watched playoff games together. We've done it all. I've had some real honest conversations with him. Some real direct and honest conversations.
"We're going to go forward with Zion. He's going to continue to be a focal point here as we go forward."
Dumars and Williamson also spent time together in Chicago in May when the two of them represented the Pelicans at the draft lottery.
"I sent him to the lottery for a reason," Dumars said. "I want him to start focusing on the responsibilities of being the best player here and the focal point. There are some responsibilities that come with that. Go represent your organization."
Dumars' plan to continue building the franchise around Williamson was revealed less than a week after a lawsuit was filed against Williamson in Los Angeles accusing him of rape and assault in 2020.
Dumars wouldn't speak about the lawsuit.
"I've been advised not to venture into any of his legal issues," he said.
Pelicans owner Gayle Benson spoke about the lawsuit Wednesday.
"You know, lawsuits are lawsuits," Benson said. "You really can't … you don't know. I mean people can sue you for anything. There's no reason. You can be innocent or not. It's just something that people do, unfortunately."
Williamson's time in New Orleans has been plagued by injuries. He's been named to the All-Star Game twice, but has played in just 214 games in his six seasons. He averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and a career-best 5.3 assists in the 30 games he played this season.
"We've had some real direct conversations with him about that," Dumars said. "Expectations. Accountability. That's our plan going forward with Zion."
Is Dumars confident that those conversations will lead to Williamson reaching his full potential?
"I feel confident that we’ve had some very direct conversations," Dumars said. "That’s what I feel confident about. Time will tell."
Dumars also spoke about his decision to keep Willie Green as head coach. Green will return after going 21-61 during a season in which the team was decimated by injuries. The 21 wins tied for second fewest in franchise history. Green is 148-180 in his four seasons, including a 49-win season two years ago. He led the Pelicans to the playoffs in two of his four seasons.
Dumars spent much of his first few weeks on the job talking to people in the building to help with his assessment of the coaching staff and players.
"It's hard for me to come in here and say, 'Here's how I assessed Willie last year,' ", Dumars said. "I wasn't here. All I can do is move forward and guide and create and lead and put expectations on what we need to do here to be successful. And only then can I judge Willie or anyone else.
"I was pleased with what I heard. I'm looking forward to going forward and working with Willie and to push us to success. You've got to set the bar. And that's what we're going to do."
