Paul George is no longer a Los Angeles Clipper. But on his way out, George has dropped some vital information about the game plans the Clippers had for the Pelicans and Zion Williamson in particular. The 34-year-old confessed that even with the strategies and tactics, there wasn’t much the LA side could do to stop the Pelicans forward.
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On the latest episode of ‘Podcast P with Paul George’, the 76ers wing had on Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III. During the show, host Jackie Long asked Murphy about his All-Star teammate Zion Williamson. Long wanted to know if Williamson was as good as people make him out to be. Murphy, a self-proclaimed hater, told his host that even by his critical standards, Zion was a basketball specimen through and through. While on the topic of Zion, even PG confessed that during his tenure with the Clippers, the team struggled to guard Zion, further adding,
“We never had a game plan for Zion dawg. I remember you guys came to L.A, and, and we was like alright, back up all the way to the free throw line…He was still getting to the basket bro. We was picking him up at the elbow, and he was still getting to the cup.”
But Trey Murphy wasn’t surprised when he heard George’s story, in large part due to Murphy knowing fully well how difficult it is to guard his Pelicans teammate. The 24-year-old even revealed that Williamson had dunked on him in practice, validating PG’s helplessness against Zion.
However, George did point out that a major part of Zion’s game comes from his physical gifts, so much so that they have become the cause of his recent injuries. Paul George thinks Williamson’s body can’t handle its gifts, even pointing to how he burst through a pair of PG 2.5s during a game at Duke.
Zion Williamson and the curse of the physically gifted
Every generation has an athlete that defies the physical limitations of the human body. Standing at 6’6, and over 280 pounds, Zion can jump a staggering 45 inches off the ground, making him this generation’s physical phenom. While this makes Zion akin to Superman in some sense, there are limitations to his gifts. Similar to D-Rose, Zion’s injuries seem to come from a mismatch between his power output and the stability of his joints and skeletal structure. In short, Zions is just too strong for his own good, and his ligaments and joints suffer as a result.
During his Podcast, George even provided a similar analysis when describing Williamson’s struggles with injuries so far, saying,
“I am not saying this in no joking manner, but like in a way, some things gotta give. There’s so much power in that body, injuries are just pilling on.”
But Zion has started to take measures to counteract his injuries, with dropping his weight and changing his diet being the main ones. Appearing on the set of Gil’s Arena last year, Zion confessed about his struggles with food and staying in shape, revealing,
” It’s hard man. You’re young. You feel like nothing can stop you…I’m 20, 22, have all the money in the world — well, it feels like all the money in the world. It’s hard.”
But Zion has turned things around since his return last season, and his improved form also led to the Pelicans making the playoffs once again. Moving forward, Zion and the Pelicans have the opportunity to become a contender, and it starts with Williamson playing at an MVP level, something everyone knows he is capable of.
