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Pelicans' Zion Williamson 'Really Focused' in Offseason Training, NBA Insider Says – Bleacher Report
Coming off two injury-plagued seasons, Zion Williamson is putting in work to get his body ready for the 2023-24 campaign.
Per The Athletic’s Will Guillory, the New Orleans Pelicans star has “been really focused on making sure his body is prepared for a long season” as part of his offseason training program.
Been hearing good things about the work Zion's putting in this summer.<br><br>Was told he's been really focused on making sure his body is prepared for a long season. Think he's gonna come in with a chip on his shoulder. <a href="https://t.co/m1bkf4bhyc">pic.twitter.com/m1bkf4bhyc</a>
This is shaping up to be a crucial season for Williamson as he looks to establish himself as a reliable star in the NBA. He has only appeared in 114 games in his first four seasons due to injuries.
Over the past two seasons, Williamson has only appeared in 29 games. He missed all of 2021-22 due to a Jones fracture in his foot that required offseason surgery.
Going back to the 2021-22 campaign when Williamson was recovering from foot surgery, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations said “our hope and our view” was Williamson would be back for the start of the regular season.
The timeline kept getting pushed back when Williamson’s foot was slow to heal before he was finally ruled out for the season with about three weeks left to play.
There has also been some apparent discord between Williamson and the Pelicans at times. Writing for B/R in October 2021, Jake Fischer noted there was a “strong belief in league circles” the Pelicans “were unaware” of his Jones fracture procedure until he showed up to training camp.
Fischer also wrote Williamson’s weight was a concern because he was “north of 300 pounds” during the offseason.
Starting last season at full strength, Williamson looked like he was ready to join the elite tier of players. The 23-year-old started 29 of the Pelicans’ first 37 games and was voted to be a starter in the All-Star Game.
But Williamson suffered a hamstring injury during a Jan. 2 game against the Philadelphia 76ers. It didn’t seem like a significant problem at the time, but the team announced on Feb. 12 he suffered a setback in his recovery that left his potential return up in the air.
Williamson wound up missing the rest of the season. Another issue that has hurt him is the reporting around his injuries.
The team initially expected Williamson to miss three weeks when his hamstring injury first occurred. When the initial timeline passed without an update, it led to questions about his status before it was revealed he suffered a setback.
The Pelicans made a big commitment to Williamson in July 2021 by signing him to a five-year rookie max extension that can be worth up to $231 million. He’s been dominant in the games that he’s played, averaging 25.8 points on 60.5 percent shooting, 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 114 starts.
It’s an encouraging sign for the Pelicans that Williamson is doing what he can to have his body in peak physical condition coming into this season, but he’s at a point where everyone needs to see him make it through a full season without a significant injury before believing he can be relied on.
A healthy Williamson does change the equation for New Orleans in the Western Conference. This team finished 42-40 last season, its first winning record since 2017-18, and has a talented core group to build around with Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones.
