"Ain't losing no 1st round": Stephen A. Smith buying into Pelicans stock after Zion Williamson weight loss reveal
New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson has seemingly been listening to the haters over the summer, as the former No. 1 overall draft pick's reported weight loss was revealed on social media.
According to Legion Hoops on X/Twitter, Williamson said he was down to 281 pounds, his playing weight during his lone season at Duke, with a goal to be down to 272 pounds by the start of the new NBA season.
Zion Williamson's weight loss had fans and analysts swirling, as the Pelicans star looks to be in arguably the best shape of his playing career so far.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith took notice of Williamson's somewhat surprising weight loss reveal on his podcast, "The Stephen A. Smith Show".
(from 4:10 mark onwards)
"You can look at all these teams, somebody's going home if Zion Williamson is 100%," Stephen A. Smith said.
"A healthy Zion Williamson with the New Orleans Pelicans, they ain't losing no first round. So, it's really good to see him in shape, taking it seriously. This is his career, he's got his bag," he added.
With Zion Williamson set to play in his healthiest condition to date next season, fans around the NBA are either excited or scared for what's to come next from him and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Zion Williamson, Pelicans eyeing playoff run amid reactions to forward's weight loss
It's no secret that Williamson's weight played a key factor in his long injury history, with the forward appearing in at least 70 games for the first time in his career last season.
Williamson missed 58 games his rookie year, missed the entire 2021-22 NBA season and missed 53 games the following season in 2022-23.
Last season showed fans the first glimpse of a fully healthy Zion Williamson and he was a problem for the rest of the NBA, averaging 22.9 points, 5.0 assists and 5.8 rebounds, shooting 57% from the field.
The Pelicans not only field an impressive core of Williamson, Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum, but they also have excellent supporting pieces like Trey Murphy III, Larry Nance and Herb Jones to elevate them as potential Western Conference contenders.
How do you think Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans will fare next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.