Zion Williamson’s behavior, while he’s been with the New Orleans Pelicans, has come into question recently, with former teammate JJ Redick suggesting that Zion is a detached teammate. All of this stemmed from the fact that CJ McCollum revealed during an interview with TNT that since being traded to the Pelicans and having played some games with them even, he still hasn’t had the chance to speak with their young superstar.
There is a general expectation among athletes at that level to communicate when they join new teams, especially when the players are as good as McCollum. So the backlash to McCollum’s revelation wasn’t surprising especially combined with the persistent reports of Zion’s unhappiness in New Orleans since he was drafted. It seems to have gotten the job done this time though, as McCollum revealed that Williamson did reach out to him after the interview to have a conversation.
As reported on NBA Today: CJ McCollum told ESPN that since his interview over the weekend with the TNT Crew, Zion Williamson reached out and the two have spoken.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) February 22, 2022
“CJ McCollum told ESPN that since his interview over the weekend with the TNT Crew, Zion Williamson reached out and the two have spoken.”
McCollum is arguably the best player to have played for New Orleans outside of Zion Williamson since they drafted him in 2019. Since his 3rd season in the NBA, McCollum has never averaged below 20 points per game, making him a legitimately dangerous scoring weapon to add alongside Zion when he eventually makes his return from injury.
While it is quite odd that CJ had to speak out in the media just to be able to have a conversation with Zion, the Pelicans will be hoping that they can put the saga behind them now that the two have spoken to one another. New Orleans are currently outside the play-in spots in the Western Conference but McCollum’s arrival and the boost that will provide could see them sneak into the play-in tournament at the very least.
