New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson remains one of the NBA’s biggest “what ifs,” with his ceiling sky-high but often unrealized due to recurring injuries and conditioning issues.With Williamson entering his seventh year in the league, coach Willie Green expects the star to finally break out, a prediction met with a mix of jokes, hope and doubt from fans.Speaking to WDSU News in August, Green shared what he wants to see from Williamson, who appeared in only 30 games last season.“We've seen glimpses of Zion stepping out on the floor and being one of one, and now it's just about doing it and being consistent,” Green said. “If he is, you know, sky's the limit for him. But also our team."Not all fans bought into Green’s confidence.“Blud trying to up that trade value,” one said.“Breakout year on year 7?! Lmao,” another commented.“Zion is truly supposed to have the game in a headlock but he doesn’t have a shot and is injury prone 😒,” another said.Here are other fan reactions.Chief @chiefflipsLINKonly thing stopping him is his health and being able to stay on that courtScaryHoursInsideLA💫🇦🇺 @ScaryHoursInLALINKYall keep saying this every year😭Injuries have derailed Zion Williamson’s careerZion Williamson closed last season averaging 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 30 outings.A bone bruise in his back sidelined him from April onward. He has now played 30 or fewer games in four of his first six NBA seasons, including missing the entire 2021-22 campaign.Before that, Williamson’s healthiest year came when he logged a career-best 70 appearances, all starts. But even then, a left hamstring strain forced him out of the Pelicans’ first-round series against the OKC Thunder, who swept them in four games.Unfortunately, injuries again haunted both Williamson and the Pelicans in 2024-25, as the team stumbled to a 21-61 finish.Per ESPN Research, since the 1997-98 season, Zion Williamson stands alone as the only NBA player to average at least 15 points in the paint while shooting 55% or better in each of his first five active seasons.Yet, across his six years in the league, Williamson has missed 258 games -- more than the 214 he has actually played.New Orleans has since reshaped its roster for 2025-26, losing CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, Bruce Brown Jr. and BJ Boston Jr., and bringing in Kevon Looney, Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and rookie Derik Queen, in hopes of climbing back into contention in the competitive Western Conference.