Zion Williamson has been a constant target of criticism throughout his career, primarily because of his weight. It has often caused him injuries, ruling him out for large stretches of games. However, looks like things are about to change. Zion’s photos from his basketball camp at Spartanburg drew a ton of reactions, with Stephen A. Smith joining the party too.
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Smith, who has actively called out Zion in the past for his weight troubles, was impressed by what he saw in the photos. On his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, he expressed how proud he was of Zion. He then reported about how Zion used to hide food under his bed, saying,
“I’m not exaggerating when I tell y’all you’ve got people in the NBA that says he was hiding food under his bed because the Pelicans obviously had people checking up on him to make sure he tried to engage in some level of containment when it came to his diet and that brother wasn’t trying to hear it.”
Smith then pivoted to how Zion is at 281 lbs and aspires to go down to 271 lbs by the time the season starts. This would be the lowest weight he’s played at since his high school days. In Duke, his lowest weight was 285 lbs, and it’s only been higher with the Pelicans. Excited about what the slim Zion can do, Smith said,
“When he’s on the basketball court, he’s box office. Incredibly powerful with incredible hops and incredible width and girth and can finish at the basket and could attack. Anybody trying to get in his way and take an offensive foul from Zion Williamson?”
Stephen A. went a step further and made a bold prediction about the Pelicans season if Zion stays healthy.
“So when you think about what he brings to the table and what he could do, just imagine what the New Orleans Pelicans could do if Zion shows up…. Somebody going home. I’ll tell you that right now. I don’t know which team. One of them going home. Zion, a healthy Zion Williamson with the New Orleans Pelicans. They ain’t losing no first round.”
Last season, there were times when Zion looked unstoppable on the court, especially in his last game before the hamstring injury. He had 40 points and 11 rebounds vs the Lakers in just 36 minutes before suffering the injury.
This season, if Zion gets to his target weight, he will be a much bigger problem for teams. At the same time, the Pelicans have improved their roster, adding another scoring option in Dejountay Murray. Zion’s ability to adjust to his new playing weight and stay healthy is going to be key in determining how the 2024-25 season turns out for the Pelicans.
