Once hailed as the savior of the New Orleans Pelicans, the struggles of rising superstar Zion Williamson have raised a lot of questions about his potential in the NBA. At the top of the list of concerns is Zion’s conditioning, which has always been a weak point for the former Duke swingman. But despite pleas by the organization to improve his diet and conditioning, there are no signs of change from Williamson, who is causing much frustration within the franchise.
“The Pelicans have repeatedly stressed to Williamson that his diet and conditioning need to improve,” Wrote Pelican insider Christian Clark. “Williamson, multiple team sources have told The Times-Picayune, ‘doesn’t listen.’”
This has been a career-long struggle for Zion Williamson. Even back before the draft, there were concerns about his weight and those concerns have only intensified in the NBA with Zion’s impressive injury history. At 6’6″ and over 280 pounds, it’s unprecedented the kind of weight Williamson is carrying right now and it’s no wonder why his body is struggling to stay healthy amid his play for the Pelicans.
Zion Is Out Of Control
With averages of 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game on 57.4% shooting, Zion Williamson is doing well enough on the stat sheet this season but his intensity just hasn’t been the same since early in the 2022-23 season. That year, the Pels were at the top of the standings before Zion suffered his latest injury and they would finish the season at just 42-40. This season, Williamson has been mostly healthy but the fact that he’s still out of shape makes it seem likely he will go down again at some point in the near future.
Perhaps most concerning of all is that Zion has made no progress in trying to change his habits. Despite detesting all the focus on his conditioning, the Pelicans star refuses to cut down on his weight and it’s becoming so bad that some people believe he’s intentionally sabotaging his Pelicans tenure. But whether Zion wants a change of scenery or not, he will never live up to his potential if he cannot get a grip on his body and stay healthy on the court for longer than a few months at a time.
Will The Pelicans Make A Move?
In year five of the Zion era, the hope was that the Pelicans would be able to re-capture the energy they had midway through last season when they put the whole world on notice as the best team in the West. That reign at the top didn’t last long for the Pels, but it is probably the defining moment of this team so far. At 12-11 this season, the Pelicans have been painfully mediocre and that’s been with most of their core players on the court.
So if you’re GM Trajan Langdon, where is the way out for this team? With both Zion and Brandon Ingram locked up for a while longer, New Orleans is committed to this core for the foreseeable future. The best chance for redemption, then, is tied to Williamson and his dedication to getting in shape. Because even for a team that has invested so much into their team, and has one of the best rosters in the league on paper, their success ultimately boils down to the actions of a single player and they will only go as far as he takes them.
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