Former NBA forward Paul Pierce thinks New Orleans Pelicans' prized rookie Zion Williamson will need to lose weight in order to further prevent injuries.
Williamson has been ruled out for their final preseason game against the New York Knicks due to what the team called as a right knee soreness. However, latest reports indicate that he could still miss weeks despite the injury not being severe as previously thought.
Pierce, nonetheless, sees it as a cause for concern for Williamson and the Pelicans. Besides, given the way Zion plays, he needs his knees to hold. With that said, the 1o-time NBA All-Star suggested for the 2019 top pick to lose weight.
“I couldn't wait to see this guy and I pegged the Pelicans to be one of the most exciting teams in the league because of Zion,” Pierce said in an appearance on ESPN's “The Jump.”
“When this happens this early in your career it tends to stay with you in your career. … It's a concern being that he's so young having these problems this early. The one thing I will say is that knee injuries, he's carrying so much weight — he's so athletic — I think he's going to have to lose a little bit more weight.”
Pierce continued to detail a personal anecdote in his 19-year, distinguished professional career, telling co-hosts Rachel Nichols and Amir Elhassan how he needed to lose roughly 10 pounds to alleviate pressure on his knees.
Pelicans fans are certainly hoping that Zion's knee issues won't be a long-term problem. He is expected to be the face of the franchise and the last thing the Pelicans organization want is for his career to be derailed with injuries.
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