NEW ORLEANS -- With a once-promising season lost, Zion Williamson sat at the end of the New Orleans Pelicans' bench.
As his teammates and coaches slowly shuffled into the tunnel following the play-in tournament loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Williamson, clad in all black, quietly remained in his seat, staring down at the floor as disappointment filled the air in the Smoothie King Center.
The Pelicans' 2022-23 season was over, and it ended as every season of Williamson's short NBA career has -- with the 2019 No. 1 pick in street clothes watching, unable to help as his team was eliminated.