Despite a growing number of people rooting for his downfall, Zion Williamson is determined to build something special with the New Orleans Pelicans. In a recent chat with The Athletic, he shared his thoughts on the situation in New Orleans and why he is still confident that the Pelicans can become one of the NBA’s biggest success stories this season.
“People don’t understand how much I really love this s—,” Williamson said, via William Guillory. “I pour everything into doing my best for the team and for the people who support me in New Orleans. I get it. You can only go off the information that’s in front of you. But that’s the great thing about the opportunity we have the rest of the way. We get to write our own story.”
Zion Williamson has gradually fallen out of the public’s favor following years of conditioning problems and disappointing play on the court. Meanwhile, the Pelicans have struggled to assert themselves as a threat in the West amid constantly changing lineups.
This season, however, there are signs that things are starting to look up for Zion and the crew. A 35-25 this season, the Pelicans are currently 6th in the West and are clinging to a half-game lead to stay out of play-in range. For his part, Williamson has delivered big numbers on paper (22.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game this season) but there are still doubts about how far he can lead this Pelicans team.
A Concerning Track Record For Zion Williamson
Coming out of Duke, Zion Williamson was perhaps more hyped than any prospect in years at that point. As a 6’6″, 300-pound machine, Williamson was an awe-inspiring athlete who was projected to be one of the faces of the league.
But after playing just 85 games in his first season, due to various injuries and health concerns, the public’s doubt really began to grow, and Z found himself getting exposed for all manner of private struggles.
Recently, concerns about his weight and conditioning have taken over the narrative for Williamson and it’s not hard to see why. Just from looking at him, you can tell Zion is overweight, and having him out there is a risk to his body and durability. Through the years, everyone from the fans to the media and players has had something to say about it and the noise has only grown louder.
A while ago, for example, NBA legend Charles Barkley joined the chorus of critics by claiming Zion doesn’t run and that he only plays the game based on his talent. Just last month, Stephen A. Smith said the problem with Zion is not about his game, but about “how many burgers he’s eating.”
Zion himself has been trying his best to fight each and every one of these narratives but he’s still confident that he can break out into the superstar he was once promised to be.
This season, at 6th in the standings, it doesn’t look to be the one that will change things for Zion or the Pelicans but if he can show something in the first or second round this spring, it will do a lot on selling folks about his superstar potential.
At just 23 years old, Zion Williamson still has time to be the guy his team needs him to be and he hasn’t lost faith that the Pelicans can be a place where history gets made. Until he goes out and proves it, though, people will hesitate to believe.
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