When Zion Williamson entered the NBA, he was heralded as the next LeBron James. However, since the New Orleans Pelicans selected him as the No. 1 overall pick in 2019, the franchise has grown desperate to see their marquee power forward fulfill his potential. Unfortunately, season after season, Zanos' progress has been hindered by injuries or off-the-court distractions, preventing him from gaining momentum.
However, NBA analyst Shams Charania is confident this will no longer be the case, as the 24-year-old is poised to have a breakout 2024-25 campaign.
Charania gives insight on Zion
In his rookie campaign, Williamson appeared in merely 29 games. While some thought this could've been a once-in-a-while occurrence, the Duke product went on to miss the entirety of the 2021-22 season with an injury. Following that setback, Zion featured in merely 29 games in the 2021-22 season.
Last season, even though the former Blue Devil played a career-high 70 games in the regular season, Williamson was far from his most dominant form. Zion logged 22.9 points—the lowest since his rookie year—and a career-lowest 5.8 rebounds per game. Moreover, when his team needed him the most in the first-round series against the resilient OKC Thunder, Williamson was sidelined due to injury.
Considering a repeated occurrence of the 6'6" power forward either picking up an injury or being unable to be at his best, a narrative was formed around him that Zion is too injury-prone to help the Pelicans make a deep playoff run single-handedly. However, with the 2024-25 season approaching, Shams Charania recently revealed how the two-time All-Star appears to be in the best shape of his career, both mentally and physically, with the Pelicans organization also showing full confidence in the athletic forward.
"Everyone around the Pelicans believes he's primed for a big season. In past years, at this point of the training camp or early in the season, there's always an injury, there's always been something with Zion Williamson where he hasn't been really at the same level as all his teammates in terms of conditioning - where he's at physically," Charania said on the Pat McAfee Show.
"Now, he's already in great shape. He looks ready. He is focused. He is ready to go...There hasn't been a single NBA season where he's come into training camp and looked this dominant in the eyes of the Pelicans," Shams added.
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Williamson did show promise
Zion delivered an impressive performance in his preseason debut against the Orlando Magic, scoring 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds in just 19 minutes of action. What stood out most was Williamson's focus on playing to his strengths, utilizing his power and interior presence to dominate.
Shams reflected on his positive showing and highlighted the team's plan to deploy 'Zanos' in a hybrid role this season. This will allow the former #1 pick to maximize his versatility and potentially emerge as the double-double machine many have anticipated while using him in a somewhat positionless role.
Time is undoubtedly a huge factor for Zion, as he must seize the opportunity to showcase his All-NBA talent. If Williamson continues to perform below his expectations, he could be on his way to joining another franchise.
In contrast, if he is able to stand tall, it may be the start of Zion being gauged among the next generation of potential faces of the league.
Related: Zion Williamson says In-Season Tournament loss vs. Lakers was a turning point in his career: "It hit me while the game was going on"
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