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New Orleans Pelicans: Charles Barkley Issues Sage Advice For Zion Williamson Amid Injury Woes
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

In many ways, NBA legend Charles Barkley has a similar game to Zion Williamson, even his consistent battles with injuries. As it stands, the Inside the NBA host shared some sage advice for the New Orleans Pelicans star to help him become healthy.

Williamson entered the league with so much hype in 2019 when the Pelicans selected him first in the draft. The thing is, he only played 24 games toward the end of his first year in the NBA due to an injury. Nevertheless, former top pick posted averages of 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per contest.

The following season was Williamson’s best so far. His 2020-21 campaign saw the New Orleans star take his game to the next level by averaging 27.0 points on 61 percent shooting from the field, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest. However, he still missed significant time due to injury, leading the Pelicans to miss the postseason once again.

During the previous regular season, Williamson rose above all the noise and controversies surrounding him to help the Pels contend for a playoff spot. But just when his team needed him in the first round of the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he got injured again. On the plus side, NOLA’s All-Star forward played 70 regular season games, the most in his five-year career so far.

NBA Legend Charles Barkley Shares Advice For New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson Amid Injury Woes

Now that the season is done for Williamson and the Pelicans, the former needs to get to work in order to prepare for the next campaign. This is what Barkley said in a video shared by ClutchPoints on X:

Barkley possesses around the same build as Williamson and boasts a similar style on the court as the Pelicans’ star. If there’s anyone who has gone through what the former number one pick has experienced, it would be him.

For sure, Williamson has his work cut out for him in the offseason. But if he listens to Barkley and follows his advice, the league may yet see a more dominant version of him next season.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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