New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson is “really focused” on making sure his body is ready for a long season, according to NBA insider Will Guillory of The Athletic.
There have been several questions about Williamson’s diet and commitment to basketball since he’s only played 114 out of a possible 308 regular-season games since being drafted by the Pelicans with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Duke. Williamson played in 24 games in his rookie year and 61 games in his sophomore year. The lefty then missed his entire third year and appeared in just 29 games last season.
The Pelicans were interested in trading up in the 2023 NBA Draft to select Scoot Henderson. There were rumors about New Orleans trading Williamson to the Portland Trail Blazers, who drafted Henderson. However, no deal was made.
Williamson signed a five-year, $194.3 million designated rookie contract extension with the Pelicans in July 2022. New Orleans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin told Sirus XM NBA Radio during Summer League in Las Vegas that the franchise’s relationship with Williamson is “as good as it’s ever been.”
Williamson told Gilbert Arenas that he’s not intentionally missing games and badly wants to play. The two-time All-Star has career NBA averages of 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists with the Pelicans.
“I’m a hooper,” Williamson said. “When I’m sitting on the sidelines watching my teammates in certain games they’re losing, I know if I was out there, I could change the outcome. What I want people to know about me is I just want to hoop. I want to be out there. Nobody wants to just sit on the sideline. I think that’s what I want people to understand. I don’t want to be on the sideline. Y’all think I want to sit over there hurt? I don’t.”
Williamson is expected to be healthy once training camp starts. It will be fascinating to see how many games he plays in 2023-24 and if the Pelicans trade him before the 2024 February trade deadline.
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