Pelicans' CJ McCollum on Zion Williamson: 'Leave the young fella alone'

New Orleans Pelicans guard C.J. McCollum came to the defense of Zion Williamson on Thursday, days after a lack of communication between the new teammates led to criticism of Williamson.

"Leave the young fella alone, man," McCollum told reporters. "He's trying to rehab in peace, trying to get himself ready to come back. We spoke, and I'll speak to him later this week."

Williamson, 21, was the top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, but hasn't played a game since May 2021 after suffering a foot injury in the offseason that required surgery and has been slow to heal. Talk of Williamson being a poor teammate came during NBA All-Star weekend when McCollum — who was acquired by the Pelicans earlier in February via a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers — said he hadn't yet had a conversation with Williamson.

Former Pelicans player JJ Redick was arguably the harshest critic, calling Williamson a "detached" teammate who couldn't do the bare minimum of welcoming a new player to the team.

Since then, McCollum told reporters that Williamson has reached out.