The New Orleans Pelicans are on pace to have another terrible season. Zion Williamson has been ruled out for the next three weeks after already missing 13 of the team’s first 23 games. The stellar play of Willamson makes him look like a superstar whenever he’s healthy and playing at his best.
However, the lack of playing time has harmed his career and makes the Pelicans a lottery team every season they miss him. An anonymous former teammate of Willamson offered both high praise and damning criticism about his career. Respected NBA reporter Marc Spears of Yahoo said the following:
“I talked to one of Zion Williamson’s former teammates who says his talent is so big that it’s actually LeBron James like talent. He thought he could even be better than LeBron. He said, ‘But he doesn’t love it like LeBron James.’”
A comparison to LeBron James is the ultimate honor for any active or future player entering the NBA. However, that praise gets thrown out of the window when Zion is questioned for his love and passion for the game. The former teammate thinks Willamson’s lack of true love for the game holds him back from reaching his full potential.
Is This Fair To Zion Williamson?
The claims from Williamson’s former teammate provide an interesting look at the young talent. Willamson had all-time massive hype entering the NBA Draft during his rookie season due to his talent level being comparable to James and other legends. The eye test confirms that Zion should be a superstar in the league in any era.
However, that criticism of Willamson for not loving the game enough has been made by others in the past to add some credence. An all-time great talent usually has a strong passion for basketball, but there is skepticism around the Pelicans star viewing it as a great love.
Injury woes have ruined Zion’s career so far with no playoff games played and only two of seven seasons so far featuring over 31 total games played. The question comes back to whether Williamson just has terrible health luck or if he doesn’t do enough to stay in peak condition as a top basketball star.
Zion Williamson Has One More Chance
The Pelicans don’t own their draft pick for the 2026 NBA Draft after sending it in a deal for Derik Queen. Trading away Willamson likely means getting draft picks and other young assets while giving up on the Zion era. However, their best bet for winning games this season comes from hoping he can remain healthy once returning.
Willamson has yet to play with teammate Dejounte Murray since New Orleans acquired the point guard. Expect the Pelicans to give Zion one more chance for the rest of the season, but the clock is ticking for any time beyond that.
Former teammates saying Willamson doesn’t love the game enough to reach his potential shines a light on how poorly the Pelicans experiment has gone. This season ending with more disappointment could see Zion moved by next offseason, especially with New Orleans having other young promising players they can currently build around.
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