Zion Williamson felt devastated during injury while his team constantly lost - "If I was out there, I can change the outcome"
It is a well-known fact that Zion Williamson's lack of availability last season greatly impacted the New Orleans Pelicans' chances of going to the playoffs.
Zion Williamson is widely regarded as one of the most talented young players in the league. Having made a name for himself before even coming to the league, Williamson lived up to the hype while he was actually on the court.
Unfortunately, injuries have plagued him, and last season, he suffered a foot injury that kept him out for a considerable portion of the year.
Prior to his injury, the Pelicans were performing well and positioned themselves as a top team in the Western Conference. However, with Williamson's absence, the team faced additional injuries to key players, gradually falling out of playoff contention.
Williamson voiced his frustrations with watching his team lose from the sidelines on "Gil's Arena" recently. While discussing his injury situation last season, he said:
"Man I’m just a hooper, so when I’m sitting on the sideline watching my teammates in certain games and they losing. I’m like ‘Man, s*** I know if I was out there I can change the outcome.'"
Zion's passion for the game is commendable. However, with critcism regarding his weight issues and the recent controversies involving Moriah Mills, he may find it harder to navigate these waters.
Zion Williamson has 'no interest' in adding new tools to his game
Zion Williamson is known for his dominant display of strength and athleticism on the court. By making use of his explosiveness, Williamson easily gets past defenders to get to the hoop.
Although this seems to be a rudimentary approach to offense, he perfectly makes use of the tools he has available to him. However, as per Ric Bucher, Williamson has 'no interest' in adding more tools to his game.
Zion Williamson reportedly has ‘no interest’ in developing a floater and pull up jumper, per @RicBucher
“Where are the floaters, up and under layups, his pull up jumpers at the elbow? Now from what I’ve been told, he’s shown no interest in developing any of those tricks. Tricks… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/XIfWfvtpG8
Adding new moves is often beneficial. Bucher uses Blake Griffin as an example quite well in this regard. Griffin was already a lob threat but adding new aspects to his game turned him into an offensive threat of the highest quality.
Zion not adding to his repertoire may have consequences down the lane. However, the priority for him remains to be healthy enough to actually be on the court for an entire season.
Read: NBA Rumors: Zion Williamson could be traded for the 'right package'