When healthy, not many can match up against Zion Williamson on the basketball court. However, over the last five seasons, his progress has been constantly hampered by injuries. Some analysts, such as ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, have pointed to his weight being an issue. However, the latest image of him looking thinner than last season has fans and ten-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony feeling optimistic.
Last season, Williamson averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and five assists in 70 games for the Pelicans, the most he has played so far in his career. His excellent season was cut short when he sustained a hamstring injury during a matchup against the Lakers in the Play-In Tournament. Those 70 games were the best since he arrived in the league after going through proper conditioning before the season commenced.
During the latest episode of Anthony’s “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast, he was ecstatic over Zion Williamson’s progress but also advised him to be prepared and disciplined in maintaining his current condition.
“He lost six pounds and looked completely different,” Anthony said. “He looked like he in the best shape of his life but it’s not getting in shape but remaining in shape. … We always going to cheer for Zion. We love comeback stories. We love revenge stories. We love adversity stories. Like that’s what we love.”
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An 82-game season grind is no walk in the park for any professional athlete. Aside from the physical challenges presented, there are also mental hurdles to get through in the process. After seasons of coming up short, Zion Williamson is coming off his most promising year yet and entering the upcoming season with a new look to boot.
NBA analyst is proud of Zion Williamson’s latest development
On February 23, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith got on ESPN’s “Get Up,” with some strong criticisms for Williamson’s struggles in food portion control. He wanted to see more discipline from the Pelicans star following previous reports of his weight issues, which raised concerns about potential injuries.
Fast forward to Zion Williamson’s latest development as the new NBA season approaches, Smith wanted to give props where it’s due, as per last Friday’s episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show.”
“I’m proud of Zion,” Smith said. “They say it was the only second time in five seasons that Zion didn’t miss at least half of his regular season games. All true. … I’m just looking at Zion and I’m thinking about the Pelicans, if this brother is on the basketball court it’s a different animal. … It’s really good to see him in shape and taking it seriously.”
The Pelicans finished eighth in the Western Conference standings last season after they came up short of securing a playoff spot.
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Edited by nagpaltusharn25
