(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The New Orleans Pelicans are dealing with an interesting and somewhat tricky situation when it comes to superstar forward Zion Williamson, who has only played in 114 regular-season games for his team since being drafted out of Duke University with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Obviously, that’s not going to cut it after the team used the No. 1 pick in the draft to bring him in, with the hopes of Williamson helping turn this franchise around in the post-Anthony Davis era in the Big Easy.
Nagging injuries aside, Williamson hasn’t done a great job of keeping himself in shape while he’s injured, and that is really starting to get noticed, especially after last season when he played in only 29 games for New Orleans.
Along with some off-the-court issues, Williamson is starting to receive a lot of criticism for the state he’s in, which may ultimately end with the Pelicans trading him at some point.
Former NBA player Richard Jefferson recently chimed in on the Williamson situation in New Orleans and believes that the Pelicans superstar isn’t doing everything within his power to be in peak condition for his team, as he said on the “Road Trippin Podcast” via ClutchPoints.
“When it’s time for my injury to be healed, I need to be 300 lbs. Not 315, 308, 312… every single thing that you do and eat and go into that. That’s how you tell me that you want to be on the court.”@Rjeff24 on Zion Williamson
(via @RoadTrippinPod)pic.twitter.com/HufJBVAyTI
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 7, 2023
More or less, Jefferson is saying that the effort is not there from Williamson, and that should be a serious concern for the Pelicans moving forward, as that will likely be a recurring problem in the years to come.
Work ethic is something that can’t be taught as it is a desire within an athlete to be the best player they can be, and that isn’t there for Williamson at this point in his career.
Unfortunately, Williamson could be another “what if” story in the NBA, with all of us left to wonder what could’ve been had he put in the work.
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