Zion Williamson And Brandon Ingram Joking About Partying In Vegas Only To Then Immediately Get Destroyed By 44 Points Is A Tough Look

Ian Maule. Getty Images.

Ahead of last night's semifinal matchup against the Lakers, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson were asked how they planned on celebrating should they be fortunate enough to win the IST while in Vegas. As you can imagine, their answer was pretty much what you would expect

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what they're saying without actually saying it. Their facial expressions said it all. Essentially, the Sapphire Club would have been rocking. This look right here?

That said it all.

Here's the problem though. Unfortunately for Ingram, Zion and the Pelicans, this happened

If that wasn't bad enough, it gets worse. The two guys in that clip could not have been worse. With Zion, it was another game of awful defense, no offensive aggression, and only 13 points in his 26 minutes. With Ingram, he finished with just 9 points on 4-13 shooting. They had 6 of the 12 Pelicans turnovers between them.

That, is a tough look.

It makes you wonder if they had already fallen victim to the Vegas lifestyle before the game even happened, because it's a tough look to talk like that at the presser and then get stomped by LeBron to the tune of a 44 points beatdown. It's hard to lose in the NBA by 44, especially when you have your full roster available. Unfortunately, every Pelican that touched the floor was pretty brutal (35/22%), and when you only score 35 points in an entire half, a result like this is what happens.

While this is just a singular game and a practice quote that didn't age well, the Pelicans time in Vegas has certainly left them with more questions than answers, mostly around their two stars. It's widely considered that the Pelicans have one of the deepest teams in the entire league. They can go 10-12 deep with legit NBA caliber talent, yet they currently sit at 12-11 and in the 8th spot out West. It's becoming more and more of a thing to question whether the Pelicans have chosen the right two stars to even build around, and I think that's completely fair.

When you watch Zion play, it looks like he's barely trying. The fact that he couldn't get up and play hard for a game like last night, with everything on the line and LeBron & Co on the other side is very telling. If you can't be motivated for that situation, what can you be motivated for? With Ingram, I still don't understand how someone who is that legit of a midrange shooter is still this poor from three. It's as if he doesn't even try to improve it (29% this year) which you simply cannot do in the NBA in 2023, especially if you're a team's primary scorer. 

Here's the issue. If these two guys aren't actually "the guys", that's a bit of a problem for the Pelicans. It sounds crazy, but do they get ahead of things and try and pull the plug? Zion is still so young and is only in Year 1 of this deal

but it feels like he's trending in the wrong direction. Do we think the Pelicans feel better or worse about Zion today than say, 5 years ago when he first got to NO?

With Ingram, it's getting close to the Pelicans needing to make a decision on his future, seeing as how next year is the final year of his deal

This is a similar situation a ton of teams face when it comes to players who are coming up on an extension. If the Pelicans do not see a future with Ingram, they basically have to move him early. The longer they wait, the less leverage they have, and Ingram's value drops. Nobody is giving up anything substantial for an expiring player who can leave for nothing at the end of next season. 

So the question then becomes, if the Pelicans are going to invest in both and build their roster as both guys being the #1 and #2, is this their ceiling? Are they destined to be a good team that is more of a middler than a contender? At that point, does it even make sense to keep everyone together?

It's crazy how quick perceptions can change. Think of how everyone is viewing the Pacers right now with what they've been able to do with their IST run, and now compare it to the narrative change that Zion and the Pelicans are dealing with. If this whole thing was supposed to be a little taste of playoff basketball in December, I can't imagine that makes you feel all that great as a Pelicans fan given how your two stars played.

And hey, maybe this was just Vegas being Vegas and it got the best of both players. That shit happens. But man, going from joking about partying it up with strippers and getting fucked up to then immediately getting fucked up on the court to the tune of a 44 point blowout is certainly sobering. Time will tell if it serves as any sort of wakeup call for Zion/Ingram or if they are destined for more of the same.