- Former NBA champion says Zion Williamson is not to blame for his weight issues
- Salley says the NBA has too many games
- Salley sparks debate about Williamson’s durability
Pelicans star Zion Williamson is as talented as they come in the NBA, but he hasn’t been nearly healthy enough for any of it to matter. To date, Zion’s career has been defined mostly by injuries and weight gain that have completely destroyed his tenure with the Pelicans so far.
But if you ask John Salley, Zion’s weight problems are not entirely his fault. Instead, he blamed the NBA for having too many games on the calendar. “It wasn’t Zion’s fault with the weight gain,” said Salley in a chat with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. “The reason why he was going to get hurt was because we play 15 games a month in the NBA. They play 30 games a year in college. So in two months he played a college career/ season and he’s played against heavier opponents.”
Zion Williamson’s weight gain wasn’t his fault says John Salley: “It wasn’t Zion’s fault with the weight gain. The reason why he was going to get hurt was because we play 15 games a month in the NBA. They play 30 games a year in college. So in two months he played a college… https://t.co/S7IdIVFIAE pic.twitter.com/70RyPkrWxl
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) August 28, 2023
We know how tough things have been for Zion in the NBA. Despite averaging 25.8 points per game for his career, he’s been unable to gain any traction with the Pelicans due to constant setbacks.
Even back in college, Williamson had his fair share of health scares, including his famous incident of the broken Nike’s that went viral online.
That was really just the start of the conversation when it came to Williamson and his size. Ahead of draft day, there was legitimate concern about his body and how durable he’d be at the NBA level.
Sure enough, those fears have been justified so far through his first four years in the league. Currently, Williamson has only played more than 30 or more games through one season of his career and he’s been absent more often than not.
As any athlete will tell you, it’s impossible to avoid injuries if you play the game for long enough, but there was a sense in the community that Williamson was putting himself at risk by playing at his extreme size.
Currently hovering at around 285 pounds, things could continue to get worse for Zion if he doesn’t shed some weight and relieve pressure on his knees.
Will The Pelicans Trade Zion Williamson?
Of course, Williamson knows his body more than anyone so only he knows what it can take over the course of a long NBA season.
Regardless, this season will have big implications for Williamson and there could be major consequences if he keeps treading down his current path.
If things get bad enough, the Pelicans might even consider moving on entirely from their young All-Star and it would truly be the end of an era in NOLA. But, until then, it’ll be up to Zion to prove that he can keep himself in check and maintain his health over a long period of time.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
