New Orleans Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson has a new running partner in Jordan Poole, and it’s safe to say he’s excited about the prospect of what they can achieve this upcoming season.

Poole, along with Saddiq Bey, was traded by the Washington Wizards on June 24th in a deal that sent veterans CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk to the Nation’s Capital. The deal was later expanded to include the Houston Rockets and Cam Whitmore.

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The Wizards dealing Poole shocked the league considering they only acquired him less than a year prior in the hopes he would accelerate their rebuild, but suffice to say the Pelicans and Williamson were ready to welcome him with open arms when he was made available.

Building chemistry

Poole’s arrival comes at a unique time for the franchise. They’ve said goodbye to long-term mainstays Brandon Ingram and McCollum, and opted for a new blend of versatile talent in Poole, Kevon Looney and Bey.

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While the fit with Ingram and Zion never quite clicked, there is optimism that Zion and Jordan can grow into one of the best duos in the league.

This is not only because of the more natural positional fit, but Poole also plays uptempo, which suits Williamson’s devastation in transition. Not to mention both are elite pick-and-roll players who can be a matchup nightmare for anyone in the league.

While no two players who join forces build chemistry overnight, there are early foundations that give us a window into what we can expect. For Zion, his synergy with their newest addition continues to go from strength to strength, and he told Basketball Network that exciting basketball is in their future.

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“As far as my chemistry with Jordan Poole, I don’t know if you saw the video of us at the airport, he’s a good dude, he’s a competitor and I think we’re going to have a lot of fun, it’s going to be exciting to watch,” he said.

The new duo’s ceiling

The prospect of Williamson and Poole should be enough to fill the Smoothie King Center this season, but it’s important to remember they’re also competing in a conference that will be unforgiving.

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Every team in the West that hopes to do great things this campaign has a formidable duo as well. Whether that’s Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in Denver, or Luka Doncic and LeBron James in Los Angeles, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams in Oklahoma City, to name a few, every single night the Pelicans’ two-man game will need to be second-to-none in order to be highly competitive.

On paper, they look more than capable, and both will need to play the best basketball of their careers to stay in the playoff picture. Either way, it’s going to be fun, but only time will tell if fun is enough to punch their ticket to the postseason.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.