New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson is truly unique. At 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds with the ability to leap out the gym, Williamson isn't quite like anyone we've ever seen in the league.
You could compare him to NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley who had a similar stature but while Barkley went on to have a legendary 16-year NBA career, not everyone is completely sold on Williamson.
On The Herd with Colin Cowherd, former NBA player Stephen Jackson doubled down on what was Williamson's biggest flaw coming out of Duke: his weight.
“He’s athletic, but he’s overweight still. 82 games as high as he jumps, he’s not gonna make it. He’a big guy. He has to work on his body, lose some weight. He’s gonna be a great player, but he has to lose weight though,” Jackson said
After playing at nearly 300 pounds in college, Barkley admitted that he had to lose weight when he got into the league so the same may be true for the Pelicans forward.
Regardless of his weight and an injury that kept him out for the first half of the season, Williamson has been dominant for the Pelicans to start his career.
In 10 games with the Pelicans, the No. 1 overall pick is averaging 22.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting an efficient 57.6 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from three, setting numerous accolades along the way as well. Even more impressive is the fact that Williamson is playing just 27.6 minutes per contest (including sitting out late) as he recovers from his injury and gets used to the NBA game.
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