Five years ago, the New Orleans Pelicans made Zion Williamson the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He’s become a two-time All-Star, but there’s still a sense that Williamson should be further along in his career than he is right now.
Missing an entire season with a foot injury in 2022 didn’t help, but Williamson has played 21, 29, and 19 games in three of his four years with the Pelicans, with a 61-game season being his most durable year yet. Williamson is just 23 years old; he’s in no danger of his body breaking down due to old age, but that doesn’t mean people close to the situation don’t want to see the 6-foot-6, 284-pound forward take better care of himself.
Right now, Williamson is healthy, playing the fewest minutes of his career, aside from his rookie year, at 30.9 minutes per game. But as we’ve seen before, just because he’s healthy right now, it doesn’t mean the same will remain true in two weeks or two months when the Pelicans are making a final playoff push.
But it’s not just Williamson’s minutes that are down. His scoring average has dipped from 26 PPG down to 22.2, combined with the worst shooting splits of his career and his fewest rebounds per game yet. In other words, Williamson is having a ‘down’ season by his standards.
It’s led to more criticism for the Pelicans star, including from Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal, who knows a thing or two about dominating the hardwood despite carrying a bit of extra weight on his frame.
Yet, as Christian Clark of The Times-Picayune reports, Williamson’s work ethic has been an issue from the moment he was drafted in New Orleans.
Multiple team sources have tried to stress the importance of improving his conditioning and paying special attention to his diet, but Williamson “doesn’t listen.”
There’s no question Williamson is one of the most talented players in the NBA. Right now, he’s good, and borders on being great. But many feel he could be one of the NBA’s best, if he only took his career more seriously than he has been so far.
Related: NBA MVP race 2023-24: Tyrese Haliburton and Luka Doncic’s big weeks strengthen case for MVP