Zion Williamson says he's taking 'a back seat' with Pelicans, 'trying my best to buy in right now'

All is not right with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The team is in the midst of a five-game losing streak, and Zion Williamson sounds less than pleased with his role.

The Pelicans lost 136-124 to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. After the game, Williamson was asked about adapting to a new offense installed this season under head coach Willie Green and first-year assistant James Borrego. He answered that he's "trying my best" to buy into the new system.

"Last year, we had a team meeting," Williamson said. "We brought up some things that I can do better, especially with buying into the program. Right now, it's tough. I'm taking a little bit of a back seat right now. I'm trusting the process. I'm trying my best to buy in right now."

It's not clear exactly what part of the program Williamson is trying his best to buy into. But he doesn't sound pleased with his role.

Per the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the new offense preaches ball movement and pace with an increased emphasis on 3-point shooting. Through nine games, it's not yet paying dividends. The Pelicans rank 28th in the league with a 107.7 offensive rating, a measurement of points scored per 100 possessions.

With Williamson and fellow Pelicans star Brandon Ingram on the floor at the same time, they're even worse. Per the Times-Picayune, the Pelicans have posted a 103.2 offensive rating in the 147 minutes when both have been on the floor. That ranks below the Portland Trail Blazers, who are last in the league with a 105.2 offensive rating.

The Pelicans are playing with the league's 10th-fastest pace, but so far it's not yielding results on the scoreboard. They're also failing to find success from deep. They rank 21st in the league with 11.4 made 3-pointers per game and 22nd with a 34.8% success rate.

It's entirely too soon to make sweeping evaluations of a brand new offense, especially considering that starting point guard CJ McCollum has missed the past four games of the five-game losing streak with a collapsed lung. But the frustration in New Orleans is evident. That it's coming from a star in Williamson whose career is off to a rocky, injury-riddled start is concerning.

Williamson's numbers are suffering through the eight games that he's played. His usage is not.

Williamson's 21.6 points per game are down from his career average of 25.5. His 16.8 field-goal attempts per game and 30.5% usage rate are in line with his career numbers. But his 51.5% field-goal percentage is well below his career rate of 59.9%.

In addition to learning a new offense, he's still learning to share the ball with another ball-dominant scorer in Ingram (30.4% usage rate). Thanks to injuries to both players, they've played just 93 games together in their first four shared seasons in New Orleans.

Both factors can go a long way in explaining Williamson's and the Pelicans' struggles. But Williamson appears to be losing patience early in the season. With losses mounting, the pressure is on both the Pelicans and Williamson to find a fix.