By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist
Still injured and pointed at his physique, Zion Williamson seems on the verge of collapse. And it’s not the latest revelations about the New Orleans superstar that are going to fix things. On the contrary, his case becomes even sadder…
On paper, he has everything to be an absolutely all-time player. But the more time passes, the more Zion Williamson looks like a gigantic bust. Not that he disappoints on the floor… The problem with the Pelicans player is that he already has trouble staying on his own two feet. The proof is that he has been absent again for several days and no one yet knows when he will be able to make his highly anticipated return to competition.
To make matters worse, the former Duke player does nothing to reassure fans and observers about his body. On the contrary, his disastrous physical form again earned him criticism. Zion is however used to being called to order, he who is often overweight while his joints are fragile, but he does not learn his lesson.
Tongues are loosened on Zion Williamson
Ultimately, all this perhaps also reflects the big man’s complete fed up with his situation in Louisiana. We know, New Orleans is a small market and therefore not very interesting for the stars, but seems to be even less so for Zion. As he has just left the CCA players agency, journalist Kris Pursiainen has revealed about him:
Even before the 2019 NBA Draft lottery sealed Williamson’s fate as the Pelicans’ first pick, he had long made it known to the agency that he wanted to play in New York. After beginning his career in New Orleans, Williamson had more expectations from his representation regarding pursuing a trade with New York. This was one of the two factors that led to the breakup.
The other factor mentioned in the article concerns his five-year, $197 million contract signed in 2022 with NOLA, which includes a lot of clauses related to his physical health and which therefore limit the guaranteed money received by the player during his lease. But the main lesson to be learned is that Williamson never really wanted to play for a team that wanted to build its future around him…
In its defense, it seems that the latter has a lot to reproach itself for in terms of workforce management. We are indeed talking about Zion, but he is far from being the only star in the infirmary. Herb Jones, CJ McCollum, Jordan Hawkins: the main players on the roster are all on the flank and the Pels had also been accused of not having a real medical staff in the past. Not really reassuring for athletes.
It was definitely never the mad love between Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, he who never gave up his dream of playing for the Knicks. Except that it seems more compromised than ever, while the interior continues to be injured regularly…
