Zion Williamson was a no-show for the Pelicans’ play-in game against the Thunder on Wednesday, and it effectively marked their season as a huge disappointment. Now, amid a chorus of doubt and criticism, Zion Williamson has become the target of blame for frustrated fans and analysts.
Speaking on his podcast ‘All the Smoke,’ former NBA big man Stephen Jackson was the latest to speak out on Z for failing to show up when his team needed him most.
“He’s missed a lot of games, bro. Got his money, right? At this point, let’s just see what you got,” Jackson said. “If you just can’t go and it’s looking that bad, yeah we’ll shut you down. I don’t think being off and rehabbing, whatever you’ve been doing, has done anything for you because you’ve been out for so long. At this point if you’re somewhat healthy where you think about playing and you’re not confident mentally, you gotta go out there and play and get the confidence by playing and see what you can do. Sitting there thinking about it, if you don’t know, go ahead and give it a shot… I think your teammates will respect you more if you try to give it a shot. This is the playoffs. This is not pre-season. We have a shot to do something great.”
Stephen Jackson calls out Zion Williamson for not playing last night
“I think your teammates will respect you more if you try to give it a shot”
(Via @shobasketball )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 13, 2023
Of course, it’s too late for Zion to attempt late-season heroics, as the Pels are officially eliminated from the playoffs. Hopefully, he’ll return next season in a somewhat healthy form, ready to play and make amends for another failed campaign.
But after working so hard to be first in the West this year, it’s no surprise that the Pelicans are feeling some frustration toward their franchise star.
CJ McCollum Calls Out Zion In Viral Media Moment
After joining the Pelicans last season, CJ McCollum has consistently said great things about the team, the city, and all of his new teammates. But CJ couldn’t help but speak up after the Thunder loss this week and seemingly threw some shade at Williamson for not suiting up.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always been the type of player to do whatever it takes to help a team,” said McCollum. “I could’ve took the easy way and gotten surgery and just sat and watch, but I’m not that type of person, that type of player. Even though it affected my performance tonight. I’ve never made excuses, I just go compete, do the best that I can and lead by example.”
CJ wasn’t fully healthy himself down the stretch of the season, but it didn’t stop him from going out there and doing whatever he could to help his team.
The situation is obviously different for Zion, who has a long history of season-ending injuries, but it’s obvious that his teammates wanted to see him make a sacrifice and risk a bad performance for the sake of giving his team the best chance to win.
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.
