Zion Williamson is one of the best power forwards in the league today, well-known for his slashing ability and rebounding. Though he did not play during the 2021-22 season, Zion Williamson averaged 27.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 3.7 APG while shooting 61.1% from the field.
One of the things that allow Zion Williamson to be an extremely effective paint scorer is his top-tier athleticism. He has had some ferocious dunks thus far in the NBA, and there’s no question that he is a top-5 player in the league in terms of athleticism.
Zion Williamson Has Reportedly Become An Even Better Athlete
Though Zion Williamson is already one of the best athletes in the league, it seems as though he may have gotten even better. Williamson’s trainer, Jasper Bibbs, has recently spoken to Will Guillory of The Athletic and revealed that Zion Williamson has improved his athleticism even further while preparing for the next season.
We focused on addressing body composition — his body weight, body fat, etc. — while maintaining and improving flexibility, strength and power. We also focused on improving his overall fitness. The more weight he carries around, the more stress it puts on the body. We focused on aerobic and anaerobic basketball-specific conditioning. One of the main goals was to get Zion back to the same athletic ability he had before the injury. In the process, he’s improved athletically. I truly think he’s a better athlete now than he was before. Once you guys see him on the court, I think you’ll agree.
Nobody at this stage of their career will be able to improve their body composition, their body control and overall athleticism without putting in a tremendous amount of work. He’s had a daily commitment during the summer, waking up early for 5 a.m. workouts and coming back for 7 p.m. workouts. He did it just like clockwork. The key was him buying in and realizing the plan was working and seeing the results.
There is no doubt that it’s good to see that Zion Williamson has been in the lab and working on his craft. He also notably hired a personal chef to improve his nutrition. The star has had a healthy offseason this year, and it’ll be interesting to see that improved athleticism in action once the New Orleans Pelicans begin the season, or potentially even before that in the preseason.
Hopefully, we will see Zion Williamson help the New Orleans Pelicans take the next step as a team. They made the playoffs this year under Brandon Ingram’s leadership, and perhaps they can win a series this year with Zion Williamson back in the fold.
