This is the designated thread for Zion hot takes/memes

[D.Brasco]

I’m sorry, but a 20 year old #1 pick shouldn’t be on a minutes restriction because he’s too fat to play a normal amount. This should be very concerning for Pelicans fans. He looks enormous compared to what he looked like at duke.

I thought Zion might go down the Shaq path and only have the real weight struggles come in in his later 20s but yeah he's not on the Shaq trajectory here, this is more Eddy Curry, Oliver Miller stuff.

[The_Hater]

I’m sorry, but a 20 year old #1 pick shouldn’t be on a minutes restriction because he’s too fat to play a normal amount. This should be very concerning for Pelicans fans. He looks enormous compared to what he looked like at duke.

I thought Zion might go down the Shaq path and only have the real weight struggles come in in his later 20s but yeah he's not on the Shaq trajectory here, this is more Eddy Curry, Oliver Miller stuff.

Barkley showed up fat and out of shape as a rookie, much worse than Zion imo, and took measures to change both his diet and his body before season 2. Change can happen happen as long as Zion puts in focus and effort.

[D.Brasco]

I’m sorry, but a 20 year old #1 pick shouldn’t be on a minutes restriction because he’s too fat to play a normal amount. This should be very concerning for Pelicans fans. He looks enormous compared to what he looked like at duke.

I thought Zion might go down the Shaq path and only have the real weight struggles come in in his later 20s but yeah he's not on the Shaq trajectory here, this is more Eddy Curry, Oliver Miller stuff.

Barkley showed up fat and out of shape as a rookie, much worse than Zion imo, and took measures to change both his diet and his body before season 2. Change can happen happen as long as Zion puts in focus and effort.

Barkley could be a good example for Zion and he should probably get in touch with Chuck.

The difference I'd add is Barkley actually trimmed down from his early college days when I think he admitted he was over 300 lbs. Zion has done nothing but gain weight from his time at Duke when he should have even better trainers and nutritionists at his disposal.

[The_Hater]

I thought Zion might go down the Shaq path and only have the real weight struggles come in in his later 20s but yeah he's not on the Shaq trajectory here, this is more Eddy Curry, Oliver Miller stuff.

Barkley showed up fat and out of shape as a rookie, much worse than Zion imo, and took measures to change both his diet and his body before season 2. Change can happen happen as long as Zion puts in focus and effort.

Barkley could be a good example for Zion and he should probably get in touch with Chuck.

The difference I'd add is Barkley actually trimmed down from his early college days when I think he admitted he was over 300 lbs. Zion has done nothing but gain weight from his time at Duke when he should have even better trainers and nutritionists at his disposal.

Maybe, but it’s not a hidden secret and these guys can make the changes if they really want too.

They’re all filthy rich so if you can’t do it on your own then you hire a dietician, a chef, and personal trainer and change your lifestyle. But Zion also just turned 20 and sometimes even top shelf athletes don’t want to give up their fast food, their beer, their lifestyle and put in those tough workouts away from the court. Zion just has to decide if he just wants to be a good NBA player or the best possible player he can be.

[Kahn_2001]

I thought Zion might go down the Shaq path and only have the real weight struggles come in in his later 20s but yeah he's not on the Shaq trajectory here, this is more Eddy Curry, Oliver Miller stuff.

Barkley showed up fat and out of shape as a rookie, much worse than Zion imo, and took measures to change both his diet and his body before season 2. Change can happen happen as long as Zion puts in focus and effort.

Barkley could be a good example for Zion and he should probably get in touch with Chuck.

The difference I'd add is Barkley actually trimmed down from his early college days when I think he admitted he was over 300 lbs. Zion has done nothing but gain weight from his time at Duke when he should have even better trainers and nutritionists at his disposal.

Didn't chuck gain weight before the draft to avoid being drafted by a certain team? Zion looking ridiculous out there, I feel sorry for his knees.

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[thebigbird]

I’m sorry, but a 20 year old #1 pick shouldn’t be on a minutes restriction because he’s too fat to play a normal amount. This should be very concerning for Pelicans fans. He looks enormous compared to what he looked like at duke.

I thought Zion might go down the Shaq path and only have the real weight struggles come in in his later 20s but yeah he's not on the Shaq trajectory here, this is more Eddy Curry, Oliver Miller stuff.

It’s not a good sign at all that he just turned 20 earlier this month and it’s already such a problem. People in general get a bit bigger as they go through their 20s, and Zion just started his. It’s especially concerning for Zion given the way he plays. Eddy Curry/Oliver Miller types weren’t flying through the air like Zion does.

[The_Hater]

Barkley showed up fat and out of shape as a rookie, much worse than Zion imo, and took measures to change both his diet and his body before season 2. Change can happen happen as long as Zion puts in focus and effort.

Barkley could be a good example for Zion and he should probably get in touch with Chuck.

The difference I'd add is Barkley actually trimmed down from his early college days when I think he admitted he was over 300 lbs. Zion has done nothing but gain weight from his time at Duke when he should have even better trainers and nutritionists at his disposal.

Didn't chuck gain weight before the draft to avoid being drafted by a certain team? Zion looking ridiculous out there, I feel sorry for his knees.

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No. Barkley was quite fat in college.

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https://auburntigers.com/images/2017/11/24/112417_cb.jpg

[themoneyteam2]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

This is a good breakdown. Didn’t give an ounce of effort on defense. Didn’t even grab a rebound in his 15 mins of play.

But general media hypes this kid up like he’s LeBron lol. He’s a complete negative on defense right now and looks out of shape

[Lalouie]

the pels are blowing this thing

minutes restriction makes ZERO SENSE in a limited games series. it only makes sense over the long haul of an 82game schedule

[E-Balla]

I don't understand how stuck at home in a quarantine he put on a bunch of weight. Like they need to get every nutritionist they can to watch him and force him to condition himself this is absurd.

[LivingLegend]

Was his first game an anomaly or is Zion just not going to take 3s anymore?


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You want Zion taking 3s like you want Draymond taking 3s.

[Duke4life831]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

This is a good breakdown. Didn’t give an ounce of effort on defense. Didn’t even grab a rebound in his 15 mins of play.

But general media hypes this kid up like he’s LeBron lol. He’s a complete negative on defense right now and looks out of shape

Ya I pointed this out in the game thread yesterday, saying he wasnt putting any effort on the defensive end and someone replied that he was actually playing good active defense, I didn't know how to reply to that haha.

Seeing him defensively now is hard to grasp, this dude was a complete dynamo defensively at Duke. Teams were hesitant to put up shots if they knew he was in the area because they knew he was going all out to contest the shots.

Two clips that really showed Zion's defense at Duke

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

The first one shows his ability to guard out on the perimeter when he picks up a smaller player. That is legit good perimeter defense after switching and picking up a smaller guy. The second one, yes was his famous block, but really Im showing it to show how far he traveled and how much he hustled to contest that shot. He was on the other side of the paint when Hunter caught the ball, yet he hustled his ass off to contest the shot in the corner.

Now he just stands like a traffic cone as a guard just strolls right by him, no interest in getting down in a defensive stance and try and move laterally to shut him down. When it comes to contesting a shot, ya he doesn't do that anymore if its not right in his immediate area.

Its just crazy to me because he was a legit top 5 finalist for DPOY as a freshman in college, now it looks like he is Jabari Parker levels of not caring on that end of the ball. My guess is its him being out of shape, because even with him putting zero effort in defensively, he still seems to be gassed after just 3-4 minutes of playing.

[Duke4life831]

I don't understand how stuck at home in a quarantine he put on a bunch of weight. Like they need to get every nutritionist they can to watch him and force him to condition himself this is absurd.

But that is the thing, he wasn't even stuck at home. He got an exception to work out at the team facilities during the entire break. He has no excuse for being out of shape.

And I agree 100%, if Im the Pels Im telling him he needs to hire a nutritionist and a personal trainer. And not just hire them, but have them move in with him until this gets all worked out. Every calorie he takes in should be calculated and prepared for him.

[SlovenianDragon]

He is just putting on some weight to beat McGregor in a back alley brawl

This wins the thread

[LivingLegend]

Barkley showed up fat and out of shape as a rookie, much worse than Zion imo, and took measures to change both his diet and his body before season 2. Change can happen happen as long as Zion puts in focus and effort.

Barkley could be a good example for Zion and he should probably get in touch with Chuck.

The difference I'd add is Barkley actually trimmed down from his early college days when I think he admitted he was over 300 lbs. Zion has done nothing but gain weight from his time at Duke when he should have even better trainers and nutritionists at his disposal.

Maybe, but it’s not a hidden secret and these guys can make the changes if they really want too.

They’re all filthy rich so if you can’t do it on your own then you hire a dietician, a chef, and personal trainer and change your lifestyle. But Zion also just turned 20 and sometimes even top shelf athletes don’t want to give up their fast food, their beer, their lifestyle and put in those tough workouts away from the court. Zion just has to decide if he just wants to be a good NBA player or the best possible player he can be.

Do you know how healthy I would be if I had my own personal chef with basically a unlimited budget?

The main reasons why average people are out of shape is 1) Bad food is cheap and 2) Bad food doesnt take much take to prepare

If I had a professional chef that would make me 3 good meals a day and I never had to go shopping or prepare the food myself I would be in incredible shape.

[dautjazz]

players on min restrictions have injuries they are dealing with , what is the issue with Zion? he looked pretty pissed on the bench.

He eats too much

[dautjazz]

I don't understand how stuck at home in a quarantine he put on a bunch of weight. Like they need to get every nutritionist they can to watch him and force him to condition himself this is absurd.

Instead of land mines, he's got fast food bags all over his floor. he looks like he doesn't take a breather from eating.

[LAvision]

I’m sorry, but a 20 year old #1 pick shouldn’t be on a minutes restriction because he’s too fat to play a normal amount. This should be very concerning for Pelicans fans. He looks enormous compared to what he looked like at duke.

I thought Zion might go down the Shaq path and only have the real weight struggles come in in his later 20s but yeah he's not on the Shaq trajectory here, this is more Eddy Curry, Oliver Miller stuff.

Barkley showed up fat and out of shape as a rookie, much worse than Zion imo, and took measures to change both his diet and his body before season 2. Change can happen happen as long as Zion puts in focus and effort.

You could argue this restart is a "second" season with the long break inbetween and he failed miserably.

[-The Coach-]

Hot take: Zion isn't overeating and is working out a lot (people need to give the kid a break) and this is just naturally where his body is trending despite all of his and the team's effort. He is a big boy.

Go look at any player their college freshmen year and compare to a few years later... Zion is a human just like anyone else. He will keep getting bigger naturally through his 20s.

Hotter take: He will Tebow into a different sport and be trying out as a DL in the NFL within 5 years.

[Duke4life831]

Somewhat of a sidenote to this topic. I see that Gentry said he didn't play him at the end because he used up all the minutes he was allowed to play. 2 points to this.

1. That basically kills any "he was on a restriction because lack of practice and has nothing to do with physical stuff" out of the water. If it was strictly short minutes to get him caught up with the team, you wouldn't have a super strict minute restriction on him. You only put a strict 15 minute restriction on a player during a playoff push, if there is legit threat of injury.

2. How bad of a coach does Gentry have to be if he didn't plan it out so Zion could be in at the end of a close game? Youd think that would be part of his planning, you know something along the lines of, "hey lets make sure we have a few minutes to spare so we can use him at the end of the game if it becomes a close game". How do you not think that through?