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Andrew LopezESPN
For New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson, it’s time to turn the page to next season and focus on getting better – with his game and his body.
“I will talk to my coaches and see what I need to do better from their point of view,” Williamson said Thursday morning. “Also talk to my coaches for player development, see what I need to do better from their point of view. Just work on every part of my game and work on getting my body where it needs to be.”
Asked exactly where he felt he needed his body, Williamson said: “That’s a conversation I’ll have with my team. We’ll sit down and see what they need me to do better, then can I give you a better answer to that? “
The 2019-20 season was an up-and-down affair for Williamson, who will not play in Thursday’s season finale against the Orlando Magic. He was injured to start the season, began to find his footing for the hiatus and then found himself back on a “burst restriction” in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida.
Williamson’s weight – he is listed at 285 pounds – has been a topic of discussion since he was with Duke for his lone college season. Once he got back into the bubble of a medical domestic emergency and 13 days free of basketball activities, his weight and condition were back at the forefront of the conversation.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” Williamson said. “But I will stick to the opinions of the people closest to me and my team and just walk away.”
In 24 games, Williamson averaged 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 58.3% of the field and going 6-of-14 from 3-point range – although four of those 3s were made in his debut against the San Antonio Spurs in January. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Williamson is the second rookie in NBA history to shoot an average of 20 points per game while shooting at least 55% from the field, with Shaquille O’Neal (1992-93).
However, it was difficult for Williamson to find a rhythm as he missed the first 43 games of the season following surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. He also went through restrictions in his early games before starting to find his step prior to the hiatus.
“There were a few raw patches where I was trying to get a rhythm,” Williamson said. “That’s part of the game and part of coming back from an injury. But you know, I feel like the coaches and training staff treated it very well. Just to play one minute in an NBA game, I’m grateful for that. “
The Pelicans dropped the playoffs briefly, but Williamson said this season could be a “starting point” for the franchise to build on.
“I think we still have some bumps and bruises, but I feel the chemistry will get a lot better,” he said. “If we continue to build and have fun with it, I think we will do well. … I think our future is bright. But we have to put the work into it. That’s all I can say about it.”
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