Memphis Grizzlies' rookie Ziaire Williams is trying to get some weight and make his body NBA-ready after concerns raised during the 2021 Summer League. Williams, who played with LeBron James' son Bronny James in high school, is expected to be an exciting player in the league, but he needs to work on some stuff first.
As stated before, his body weight has resulted in a major source of concern for the Grizzlies, who put him on a 5000-calorie diet to get more muscle and be ready to face bigger players in the association.
Via FanSided's Beale Street Bears:
The Grizzlies’ rookie in Ziaire Williams has come to Beale Street to play basketball. Even so, his basketball has been overshadowed by his diet in just a matter of two games. Here’s why.
During the broadcast, Grizzlies’ commentator Pete Pranica mentioned the fact that Williams was on a 5,000-calorie diet. This is jarring, as the average male eats under 2,500 calories in a single day. Williams’ diet is double that.
This started three months ago, but the diet has gotten more attention in recent times, as NBA fans found out Williams' plan. Twitter user @bballbreakdown shared a pic of Williams' current diet, which raised a lot of eyebrows around the NBA community.
Some said those weren't 5,000 calories, others reacted to the fact that he'd take in a lot of dairies, joking that he'd lose a lot of those calories in the bathroom.
Williams is really skinny and we've previously seen skinny players do good in the league. Kevin Durant, Brandon Ingram, Ja Morant, and others have thrived despite their slim physics. Yet, Memphis feels their rookie shooting guard/small forward needs to add more muscle to be more impactful.
Ziaire was listed 6-8, weighing 186 pounds in the Summer League.
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