The New Orleans Pelicans suffered a startling and eye-opening loss on Thursday night, as the Los Angeles Lakers swept the floor with them and beat them by 44 points.
Following that loss, it is clear that some things have to change within the team.
According to Legion Hoops, Pelicans insider Christian Clark is reporting that the Pelicans “have repeatedly stressed to Zion Williamson that his ‘diet and conditioning’ need to improve.
But Williamson reportedly “doesn’t listen” to the requests.
The Pelicans have repeatedly stressed to Zion Williamson that his ‘diet and conditioning’ need to improve, per @cclark_13.
But Zion reportedly still ‘doesn’t listen.’ 😳 pic.twitter.com/KPpglUF2nd
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 8, 2023
It is interesting to see this report after weeks of Williamson and the Pelicans playing well and looking like they were on the right track.
Apparently, there have been some serious concerns within the team’s front office even as the Pelicans have flown in the right direction.
This isn’t the first time that the team has been worried about Williamson’s body.
Throughout his career, he has seemingly fluctuated in weight, especially during his many absences due to injuries.
Williamson will always be a bigger man because of the way that he is naturally built but there has been unease about him not taking care of his body like he should.
He didn’t play like the two-time All-Star that he is on Thursday, only managing to land 13 points and 2 rebounds against LA.
Most people thought that was because he was simply being outworked and outplayed by LeBron James and his team.
But perhaps this is all related to some of the conditioning concerns that the Pelicans have.
Last summer, there were whispers of New Orleans contemplating a trade involving Williamson but those rumors evaporated when the season began.
However, will they return soon if Williamson doesn’t take this issue seriously?
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Zion Williamson Gets Honest About His Performance In Lakers Loss