!["I think your teammates [Pelicans] will respect you more if you try to give it a shot. This is the Playoffs, this is not preseason," Jackson said.](https://cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com/2023/04/99d62b30-zion-play-in.jpg?format=auto&w=3840&q=75)
It took Stephen Jackson 3 years of playing in the CBA, NBL, and even the Dominican Republic to get himself back in the NBA after his Draft. He was the 42nd pick coming out of the 1997 draft and always gave his all to make it big in the NBA despite consistently being neglected. So, he knows what the $194 million contract-bound Zion Williamson has already got without playing one complete season since his draft.
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Despite his weight issues, there was no doubt about Williamson going in as the 1st pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The man had the biggest hype for a high school player since LeBron James. The Pelicans made no mistake in doing the right thing at the time, but he is in the last year of his contract worth over $44 million.
And although he has somehow made it to two All-Star teams in these four years, the 22-year-old has just played 114 games combined. Now compared to Ja Morant and RJ Barrett of his class, it’s abysmal how they have led their franchises to two Playoffs in that time starting from nothing.
All everyone wants for Zion to just give it a shot.
Stephen Jackson has a suggestion for Zion Williamson
The New Orleans Pelicans recently crashed out of the Play-ins after a very young OKC Thunder team showed some resilience and an exit door to a Zion-less squad.
It was their second straight season in the post-season without their All-Star. And as it ended even earlier for CJ McCollum and Co even earlier than the last season, he had something big to say about it.
“We’ve got to be available. We’ve got to do what we need to do off the court in terms of preparation, in terms of getting treatment, in terms of getting the right sleep, the right type of hydration, having the right type of diet.”
– CJ McCollum after Pelicans play-in loss pic.twitter.com/VkrCcAcIUN
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 13, 2023
It was surely a shot at Williamson. Former NBA Champ with San Antonio Spurs, Stephen Jackson, echoed CJ’s voice.
“I think your teammates [Pelicans] will respect you more if you try to give it a shot. This is the Playoffs, this is not preseason,” Jackson said.
“I think your teammates [Pelicans] will respect you more if you try to give it a shot. This is the Playoffs, this is not preseason.”
Stephen Jackson wanted to see Zion Williamson play for yesterday’s Play-in game vs. the Thunder.
(via @shobasketball)pic.twitter.com/1K9bl3FPoC
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 13, 2023
Will Zion take this criticism in a positive way?
Now, it’s on Zion to take this as a personal attack against him, which it is not, or just a desperate call by some people who want to see what they expected to see him do when he was with Duke.
The man must be exhausted by everything he is going through just for dealing with life one day at a time. But that’s not how athletes live their lives. That is the deal you make when you choose to be a professional athlete.
