Shams Charania: 'Pelicans Believe Zion Williamson Is In Really Good Shape'
NBA insider Shams Charania visited with Pat McAfee and wasted no time in diving into what's on most New Orleans Pelicans fans' minds: Can Zion Williamson Play A Whole Season in 2023-24? Shams provided an update on Zion's fitness and readiness for the upcoming season, highlighting his dedication to his body and his improvements.
"The Pelicans believe that Zion Williamson is in really good shape," Shams Charania told Pat McAfee. "They're excited about his progress and the way he looks, his readiness for training camp next week. And one thing, David Griffin has come out and said it as well. One difference in the past, Zion Williamson has not spent this much time in New Orleans. He spent a lot more time locally in New Orleans, working out there, spending some time at the Saints facility as well."
Jan 2, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) drives against Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
New Orleans wins whenever Zion is on the court. The two-time NBA All-Star power forward averaged 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in the 114 regular season games in three seasons. Although the team is encouraged by Zion's recent participation in workouts, Charania expressed a level of caution.
"That doesn't mean he's leading the charge on the court quite yet. He hasn't been a part of that many scrimmages on the court, so we're not seeing him put dents on the floor. But the one thing that I will say, he's doing a lot of. He's investing a lot more money, investing a lot more time on his body, on hiring people, bringing people into his life that can help him and help his body. From that standpoint, you have to give Zion Williamson shout for his accountability. I think he understands the level of commitment he needs to have moving forward," Charania said.
Shams continued to dissect Zion's journey and what this season holds for the Pelicans. "We all want to see Zion Williamson on the court as much as possible. That's good for the game. That's good for basketball. It's good for sports. And what he does, no one else in the league does. So we want him on the court. But conditioning, his shape, mentality commitment, I think those are all things that JJ Reddik has said it publicly. Teammates have said it publicly...They want to believe he's ready to go because they know if he plays 60 games, 70 games, this is a team that can compete for home court."
New Orleans will open its 2023 Training Camp for its players next week. Only Trey Murphy III, Jose Alvarado, and Larry Nance Jr. will not participate due to injuries and surgeries.
