The New Orleans Pelicans swear that this time around will finally be different with Zion Williamson.
At the team’s media day on Monday, Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin addressed the status of the star forward Williamson. In his remarks, Griffin made an especially interesting statement about Williamson. He said that Williamson has hired independent people to help him take care of his body, indicating a brand-new level of commitment from the ex-No. 1 overall pick.
“This was the first summer where we’ve seen Zion really take his profession seriously like that,” said Griffin.
On the one hand, it is pretty concerning that Williamson is only now — heading into his fifth NBA season — taking his health and conditioning as seriously as he needs to be. But it is not terribly surprising given some of the unsavory reports we have heard over the years about Williamson’s weight and diet (which even Williamson himself admits there is some truth to).
Because of his inability to stay on the floor, Williamson has been a big-time bust to this point of his NBA career. But the photo evidence of Williamson this offseason backs up Griffin’s claim that he has been putting in the work, so hopefully this season marks the beginning of the former Duke star finally flipping the script.
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