Zion Williamson Detailing His Return to Peak Fitness Brings out Mixed Emotions: “Won Me Back in Like 14 Seconds”

New Orleans Pelicans have been waiting for 6 years to get a full season out of star forward Zion Williamson.

Zion Williamson Detailing His Return to Peak Fitness Brings out Mixed Emotions: “Won Me Back in Like 14 Seconds”

Zion Williamson claims he feels good about his conditioning (Image via FirstSportz)

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It seems like every offseason, the focus shifts to what Zion Williamson is doing. His fans want him to succeed, and so do many members of the media, but it seems as if the story has been on repeat and rewind for a while.

Every season, he either enters the campaign out of condition or ends up struggling with injuries sometime down the line. Neither has helped him play enough games to make the New Orleans Pelicans’ investment in him make sense.

Last season, criticism towards him hit a boiling point with analysts calling out his eating habits, as well as his lack of dedication to the craft. It soon resulted in the Pelicans trolling back at Stephen A. Smith, but it still ended up backfiring when he could not end the season healthy.

Now, the 25-year-old is preparing to play in his 6th season. After ending his 5th campaign with another injury, it seems the Duke standout has taken his conditioning seriously, as he mentioned in the Pelicans’ preseason press conference.

We came up with a plan, from boxing to working out on the football field a lot. It’s just different random workouts. During that timeframe, I really felt a shift in my body to where I was looking at him (his trainer), ‘Dude, it feels good to feel good. I haven’t felt like this since college, high school.’

Zion Williamson said

The 2-time All-Star believes he is conditioned, and it might translate to a season where he finally lives up to his hype. It has been a long time since he was touted to be the next LeBron James.

Fans can’t convince themselves Zion Williamson is fit again

The problem basketball fans have with this revelation is that they believe they have seen this play on repeat almost every season since he was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft.

They feel every year he makes such claims, or looks the part, then his season ends up going sideways. There is a reason the North Carolina native has just played in 214 out of a possible 492 games.

Some fans felt that if he was talking about it in this manner, he might have come of age and finally taken his work seriously. But most fans were doubtful of seeing a healthy Zion Williamson terrorize his opponents on a nightly basis.

The 6′ 6″ star has to maintain a certain weight to avoid injuries, and until they see him diligently follow that and avoid injuries, they are not sure if his words hold weight. Check out examples of those reactions below.

Zion Williamson still has that explosive skill that made fans swoon over his capabilities when he was at Duke. The problem is that the New Orleans Pelicans have to do their part to ensure he is under control.

Pelicans will hold Zion Williamson accountable

Other than Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans’ head coach Willie Green, and Vice President Joe Dumars, were also present at the preseason press conference.

Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy and Herbert Jones
Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy and Herbert Jones (Image via New Orleans Pelicans/X)

Joe Dumars has made it clear publicly and privately that he is going to be holding Zion Williamson accountable this season. That responsibility comes from leadership, being on time with things.

Shams Charania revealed on NBA Today

ESPN’s lead insider also added that Williamson has struggled with discipline, and their new Vice President will ensure that he is kept in check. They want him to succeed, and know that the star forward’s success could lead to a playoff spot.

The Pelicans will not be without Dejounte Murray for a while as he is still recovering from his Achilles tear. But they still have Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones, Yves Missi, a pair of top draft picks, along with trade acquisition Jordan Poole, to keep them in the hunt.

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