Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans looked like they were on the cusp of breaking into the Western Conference's top four when they made some noise in the NBA In-Season Tournament. After all, the Pelicans won a group with the likes of the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, and even the upstart Houston Rockets. They even made the semifinals of the competition after taking care of business against the Sacramento Kings.
However, their semifinal clash against the Los Angeles Lakers ended up being a game straight out of the Pelicans' nightmares. The Lakers dismantled them bit by bit en route to a 133-89 loss for the Pelicans, with Williamson struggling to the tune of 13 points on 6-8 shooting and 1-6 from the charity stripe.
While losing out on the inaugural NBA Cup stung for the Pelicans, it seems as though they have become one of the big winners of the tournament in retrospect. The unceremonious way with which they exited the tournament reportedly ignited an inextinguishable flame in Zion Williamson, as evidenced by his reported loss of 25 pounds since December 7.
“I’ve got people in New Orleans telling me that since December, when the In-Season Tournament happened, that Zion Williamson has lost 25 or more pounds and his performance has been excellent,” Brian Windhorst of ESPN said on Monday's episode of The Hoop Collective, via NBA Central on Twitter (X).
Indeed, Zion Williamson has looked more in shape than ever before over the past few months; he returned to being an unstoppable wrecking ball at the rim for the Pelicans, he has been fleshing out his playmaking game, and to top it all off, he is not hesitant to take on tougher matchups on the defensive end.
“I think since that moment, well there was a team meeting around that time as well, things have gone on the up and up for him. He looks like a completely different player. Like you, I’ve heard a lot of great things from multiple people in New Orleans about the buy in that he’s had, the transformation in his body, everything right now for him feels and looks different,” Andrew Lopez of ESPN added.
Zion Williamson's much better all-around play as of late has the Pelicans on the cusp of homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and there might not be a better time for him to peak than with a little over a month to go before the postseason begins.
Follow Us
Subscribe