NEW ORLEANS -- Building around a superstar sounds simple, right? Find your star. Add good players. Win games. But in reality, the NBA's best teams understand that the players surrounding a star have to fit the way that star plays.

That's something the New Orleans Pelicans can learn from the teams they've been chasing. When you look at the Oklahoma City Thunder, they didn't simply surround Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with scorers. They built a team around his strengths: shooting, length, versatility and players who can defend multiple positions. That formula helped Oklahoma City win 64 games in 2025-26, while SGA won his second consecutive MVP.

Denver took a different approach with Nikola Jokić. The Nuggets built an offense around his extraordinary ability to pass and score from the center position. Rather than asking Jokić to fit into a system, they built the system around him.

The lesson for New Orleans isn't to copy either team. Instead, it's to understand Zion Williamson. Zion's greatest strength is obvious: When he gets downhill, very few players in the NBA can stop him. That means the Pelicans need to create as much space as possible around him.

This is where shooting matters as well as secondary playmaking. Additionally, having defenders who can cover for weaknesses and allow Zion to conserve energy for the offensive end is just as important.

That's why players like Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones are so important. Murphy's shooting creates space. Jones' defense provides versatility. Players like Jordan Poole and Dejounte Murray can create offense when Zion isn't initiating.

But the Pelicans also need to answer a bigger question:

Are they building around what Zion does best, or simply putting talented players next to him? Those aren't necessarily the same thing, and the best contenders build with purpose. Every player has a role, and every role complements the star.

So the Pelicans don't need to recreate Oklahoma City or Denver, but they need to figure out what a championship-caliber team around Zion actually looks like.

If New Orleans can surround its best player with shooting, defense, secondary creators and players who complement his unique strengths, the roster suddenly looks much more dangerous.

The goal isn't to collect talent. It's to build a team that makes your best player better.

Understand the Pelicans. Don't just watch them.