The face of the New Orleans Pelicans franchise, Zion Williamson has looked like a different player this season. Williamson has played point-forward more often this season, a decision partly made due to an early season injury sustained by CJ McCollum. As a result, he’s been more engaged in the offense and better optimized.
Another secret to Williamson’s success has been his dedication to improving his body. Heavily maligned in the media for his lack of dietary discipline, Williamson has reportedly lost at least 25 pounds since the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament.
Zion Williamson Makes Surprising Change Ahead of Playoffs
“I’ve got people in New Orleans telling me that since December when the In-Season Tournament happened, that Zion Williamson has lost 25 or more pounds, and his performance has been excellent,” Windhorst says on his podcast, The Hoop Collective. “He’s playing fewer minutes and I think that helps as well, but I’ve got people telling me he’s lost 25 pounds. And I don’t mean like in the past where they say, ‘Oh, he’s added muscle’ and it’s like, ‘Has he?'”
In the tournament, Williamson had noticeable struggles with his conditioning level as the team fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinal round. With that said, this is a significant development for the Pelicans in their efforts to win an NBA championship and for the 2019 No. 1 pick in his efforts to reach his potential.
Last week, Williamson would speak about his improved conditioning, saying that he’s “getting there” (per Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune). “Just stacking my days. Extra conditioning over time. I’m starting to see some of those results. I just have to maintain and keep going.”
“He’s moving well. Getting up and down the floor. We like where he is right now.”
Pelicans head coach Willie Green would add that Williamson “looks great.”
Less Effort, More Energy
Williamson is averaging 22.6 points per game, his lowest mark since his rookie season (22.5 points per game). Even when factoring in that he’s playing 30.9 minutes per game, his lowest average since his rookie season (27.8 minutes per game), Williamson appears to be a less assertive scorer than past seasons. However, this isn’t indicative of a lack of effort.
Instead, it’s a display of camaraderie, as the Pelicans continue to learn how to meld his skillset with that of McCollum and Brandon Ingram. To that point, Williamson has a career-high assist rate of 27.0 percent this season and a career-low usage rate of 29.1 percent, but both are team-highs. He’s exerting less energy on the offensive end, yet not being uninvolved. This then lends itself to his ability to put forth a higher effort on defense.
With Williamson now emphasizing his physique and slimming down, he’s even more likely to have the energy necessary to be a consistent two-way force in the 2024 NBA Playoffs and beyond.
