One of the harshest criticisms of Zion Williamson‘s career has been over his fitness. Several veterans have ridiculed the Pelicans star on national platform for being overweight and not being fit in accordance with an athlete’s requirement. However, from what everyone saw yesterday from Zion, it didn’t look like someone with a fitness issue. The 23-year-old ran across the court in 3.5 seconds and made a buzzer-beater to secure a lead for his team.
Advertisement
The Pelicans faced the Clippers yesterday at the Smoothie King Center. The game ended 104-112 in favor of the Pelicans and Zion was the star of the show for many reasons. He dropped 34 points with seven rebounds and four assists, as per ESPN, but his buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter is what made the most noise. With 3.5 seconds left on the clock in the 3rd quarter, the game was tied at 80. Zion got the ball at the end of the court and to everyone’s surprise, he made it all the way through and finished it with a layup right at the buzzer.
[Highlight] Zion “out of shape” Williamson runs the floor in 3.5 seconds and gets the layup to go at the 3rd quarter buzzer! (With Replay)
byu/asapshrank innba
A clip of this play was posted on Reddit and fans shared their disbelief over what they witnessed. One fan brought in the old Charles Barkley comment on Zion. We hope Sir Charles saw Zion’s layup as well as it’d be interesting to know what he thinks of it.
Comment
byu/asapshrank from discussion
innba
Comment
byu/asapshrank from discussion
innba
One fan said that he thought Zion would go for a half-court shot, instead, the Pelicans star surprised everyone with his decision.
Comment
byu/asapshrank from discussion
innba
Another fan said that a quick on his feet version of Zion Williamson is going to be a problem in the league.
Comment
byu/asapshrank from discussion
innba
It seems like a Reddit user has figured out the trick with Zion’s upgrade as they suggested that the Pelicans star gets better with all the hate coming his way.
Comment
byu/asapshrank from discussion
innba
One fan said that watching Zion is a treat and seeing him improve his game is a sweet sight.
Comment
byu/asapshrank from discussion
innba
Zion Williamson gives his thought after the game
After closing the game with 34 points and a stellar performance in the second half, Zion was full of confidence. After the game he said that every game matters for him and his squad which is why he is pushing himself so hard. The Pelicans are currently fifth in the Western Conference with a 40-26 record and the mentality that Zion was talking about post-game is really showing on their results this season.
House of Highlights uploaded a clip of Zion’s post-game interview on YouTube where he said, “I’m a competitor. I want to win. Simple as that.”
It’s clear from the words of the 2019 first-overall draft pick that the Pelicans are on a mission towards the end of the regular season. With Zion performing at such a high level, they might be able to pull off a major upset in the league
