Because the Pelicans are, right now, an absolute disaster of a roster. Some very talented players, almost none of whom mesh together well. Devonte Graham is a PG who can't create off the bounce. Jonas needs to occupy the same space on the floor as Zion. Ingram is really goddamn good, but he's most effective with the ball in his hands and would operate best on a spread-out floor so he can utilize his slashing... and, once again, they've got two post players on the floor, lol. I like a lot of their young guys, but if guys like Kira and NAW and whomever don't make a serious leap, there's a good chance the Pels are bottom 8 in the NBA. (I do like what we've seen from Trey Murphy, so that's a good sign.)

So even if Zion was ready to go by the start of the season (as early reports suggested he would be)? If I were him, I'd be like, "... let's give me another month to get pain-free." Because the Pels FO absolutely will give him whatever he wants, and he's going to want to see if there's any reason for him to work his ass off this season.