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Zion Williamson is not exactly the most-loved individual in the NBA right now. As a matter of fact, some folks from New Orleans have even turned on the Pelicans superstar of late.
Just recently, Zion made headlines after it was revealed that he had not gotten in contact with CJ McCollum following the latter's trade deadline move from the Portland Trail Blazers. Zion eventually reached out to McCollum but the fact that it took him so long drew the ire of critics everywhere.
Right now, however, it's none other than McCollum himself who has come to the defense of his embattled Pelicans teammate. McCollum is now urging the public to be more considerate of Williamson's current situation as he continues to work his way back to return from injury:
“Leave the young fella alone, man. He’s trying to rehab in peace, trying to get himself ready to come back,” McCollum said, via Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.
“He’s going through a lot. You guys are putting him on the spot on the daily and I think he’s just trying to recover on his own time and really focus on his rehab. I’ve been injured before, so I know what it’s like. You feel disconnected. You feel away. You wish you could be out there, and it’s tough, mentally and physically. It’s tough on the body. And you gotta read about yourself all the time. I know it’s frustrating. But I’ve got a lot of respect for him. We’re going to get along very well and continue to build a relationship and I’ll be here for him when he needs it.”
It's great to hear McCollum standing up for his teammate here, but you also have to note that it was his statement that got Zion in a lot of trouble in the first place. It was McCollum himself that revealed that Williamson hadn't gotten in touch with him weeks after the trade. Then again, CJ was just being honest. It's not as if he lied or anything.
What McCollum did, however, was open a full can of worms for Zion. Former Pelicans guard JJ Redick jumped on the issue as he too made certain revelations about Williamson during their time together as teammates in New Orleans. Redick described Zion as being a “detached” teammate and even admitted to once calling out the young star in front of the entire team.
As McCollum stated in his interview, Zion is still in the process of rehabbing his foot injury. It was earlier reported that the former first overall pick may now require another procedure to address his foot problem. The Pelicans have not provided too many updates about Williamson over the course of the season which probably means that there's not much to go by. What is clear right now is that Zion isn't going to be suiting up anytime soon. Some might even say that he is now in danger of getting shut down for the remainder of the season. After all, it's not as if New Orleans is going anywhere this year.
For what it's worth, Zion Williamson's current deal expires at the end of next season. He will be eligible to sign an extension at the end of this current campaign and it will be very interesting to see how things play out for him and the Pelicans.
