3 things Zion Williamson has to work on during the 2021 NBA off-season

Zion Williamson (#1) looks to pass while pressured by Robert Covington (#23).

Zion Williamson will be into his third NBA campaign for the New Orleans Pelicans when the 2021-22 season arrives later this year. The No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft was one of the best players in the league this season, but was mostly ignored by voters for a spot in any of the All-NBA teams.

Averaging 27 points on 61.1% shooting from the field, to go along with 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game during the 2020-21 season, Zion Williamson impressed in his second season. His improvements, coupled with his exciting plays, made him a fan favorite, and he became a first-time All-Star.

The All-NBA team snub, though, brought Williamson back to earth. Clearly, the New Orleans Pelicans forward has plenty of work to do to change the minds of the voters, but he also needs to work on his game to be considered a shoo-in for that.

Zion Williamson is a superstar in the making

As good as he is now, Zion Williamson has holes in his game that require some work in the off-season.

Nearly all his numbers went up from his rookie season to his sophomore year. But if he is going to take the leap into true superstardom, Williamson will have to fine-tune his game ahead of his third year with the New Orleans Pelicans.

🎂 Happy 21st birthday to Zion Williamson!

📊 85 GP, 25.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.2 APG
🎯 60.4 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 68.3 FT%
⭐️ 1x (2021)

In 2020-21, Williamson recorded the highest FG% in NBA history by a player who averaged at least 25 PPG in a season. pic.twitter.com/omVikWXtHt
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) July 6, 2021

Here are three things Zion Williamson will have to focus on this off-season to improve as a player:

#3 Shooting

Former Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy talks with Zion Williamson (#1).

Williamson’s skills around the basket area are already some of the best in the NBA right now.

The next step Williamson will have to take this upcoming season will be to expand his range and add a mid-range jumper to his arsenal. He doesn’t necessarily need a three-point shot before he perfects his shooting from near the shaded area.

Zion Williamson has a turnaround mid-range jumper. That's the tweet.@PelicansNBA | #WontBowDown pic.twitter.com/yy8iJXIGgM
— Bally Sports New Orleans (@BallySportsNO) April 13, 2021

If he’s watching the Phoenix Suns this postseason, the New Orleans Pelicans phenom will see that he can do what Chris Paul is doing to opponents: stopping at the elbows and knocking down 15-foot jumpers left and right.

It’s a simple enough shot. If Zion Williamson were to master it, he could be next to impossible to stop.