Zion Williamson's 'weight issue' gets a bold solution from ex-Laker
Zion Williamson's 2024-25 NBA season has been a rollercoaster. After missing the season opener and returning to play six of the next eight games, the forward has been inactive since Nov. 6 after dealing with a hamstring injury.
As usual, his weight has been a hot topic in the NBA world, as many people tend to say what they think is better for the former No. 1 overall pick. Former New Orleans Pelicans and LA Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins joined FanDuel TV's "Run It Back" on Wednesday to talk about Williamson.
Cousins said that the Pelicans should be more strict with Zion Williamson's weight issues and start fining him whenever he's in bad shape.
"This has been a concern since he's come in, it's been a concern every single season," Cousins said. "If I'm the organization, we gon' kinda do the old school, Miami style. You come in at a certain weight or body fat that isn't acceptable for the team and put you in a place to flourish and be healthy, we start fining you.
"'Cause this is an issue that they're dealing with every single year, and obviously, this is something he can't handle on his own and professionally, he struggles. So it's time to start adding a little more pressure to him and I think this should have happened two or three seasons [ago]."
Cousins said that Zion Williamson's weight has affected his health too and both the player and the team need to work together to finally fix this situation. Meanwhile, the Pelicans star is dealing with this injury while people offer extreme measures to put an end to it.
ESPN analyst says Pelicans should cut Zion Williamson
Contrary to DeMarcus Cousins, ESPN writer Tim MacMahon had a more radical approach to Zion Williamson's issues. During the latest episode of Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective, MacMahon suggested that New Orleans cut Williamson.
"Scenario A, the preferable scenario, is trade him and get value for him," said MacMahon. "I think that's going to be extremely difficult to do given his injury history, given the fact that he looked far less explosive than he had been in the past in the little bit that he played this year. If you look at his rim-finishing numbers they are mediocre," he said.
Tim Bontemps interrupted his colleague to say that the move wasn't going to happen. Williamson isn't making a return anytime soon, according to Shams Charania, and while he's out, rumors and speculation haven't stopped.