Scout: Zion Williamson Moving Worse Than He Did In Summer League

[MemphisX]

zion is like shaq on the offensive end for the most part. But his defense is dog $h1t.

The big picture here is that there is no way he can sustain playing at this weight. Its nice that he has played like this in 4 games. You really think he could play an 82 game series without blowing a knee at 300+lbs? Its ridiculous

He looks 350.

[Crizzle]

zion is like shaq on the offensive end for the most part. But his defense is dog $h1t.

The big picture here is that there is no way he can sustain playing at this weight. Its nice that he has played like this in 4 games. You really think he could play an 82 game series without blowing a knee at 300+lbs? Its ridiculous

He looks 350.

Hes def closer to 350 than the 275 or whatever BS they are trying to list him as

[VanWest82]

I agree with Dr. Sutterer.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/259050/Sports-Injury-Doctor-Says-Zion-Williamson-In-A-Race-Against-His-Own-Body

Dr. Brian Sutterer has become a well-known analyst of sports injuries on YouTube and Twitter and was recently interviewed by Ethan Sherwood Strauss of The Athletic about Zion Williamson.

“He’s in a race against his own body,” Dr. Sutterer said over the phone. “If you go watch his Duke highlights compared to now, the difference is profound. In my opinion, his athleticism and conditioning have regressed substantially. He’s less explosive, less conditioned, slower on defense, has already had a portion of his meniscus removed from his knee after an injury, and he’s still under close monitoring from the medical staff.”

Williamson sees a troubling long-term trend with Williamson.

“I feel like nobody really wants to call it like we all see it,” Dr. Sutterer said. “He’s trying to reverse a career trajectory that by the Pelicans’ own admission is worrisome as evidenced by his ‘reprogramming’ and scrutinized minutes. He had four months to start making positive strides and to me he’s regressed more. When will he finally start to reverse course? Will it be in time before more substantial fitness concerns and injuries limit him and threaten his career? Instead of outpacing these risks, I’m worried that Zion is losing the race.”

[wco81]

zion is like shaq on the offensive end for the most part. But his defense is dog $h1t.

The big picture here is that there is no way he can sustain playing at this weight. Its nice that he has played like this in 4 games. You really think he could play an 82 game series without blowing a knee at 300+lbs? Its ridiculous

He looks 350.

Hes def closer to 350 than the 275 or whatever BS they are trying to list him as

He's just getting acquainted with the great food in New Orleans.

[Kilroy]

I bet ingram absolutely hates him right now...

All these years focusing on bulking up, and Rookie Zions farts weigh more than him, still.

[SpreeS]

I saw him first time after long time...Man, he is faaaat, his ass bigger than Barkley’s in Houson.

[Jazz9]

He must have a veeeeeery slow metabolism because I refuse to believe that he's just eating too much

[NY 567]

he was/is a top 20 player this season.

You don't reach top 20 status in 19 games. Lol at the "is." I don't know what you're looking at if you think he's a top 20 player right now.

24 PER, 24 ppg on 62% TS. there are about 3 guys in the league who can match his combination of scoring and efficiency.

Small sample size, and he's been awful on defense and as a rebounder, which hurts his value immensely as a 4 and a smallball 5. He's nowhere near a top 20 player right now, not even close. Hell of a scorer though.

[NO-KG-AI]

You don't reach top 20 status in 19 games. Lol at the "is." I don't know what you're looking at if you think he's a top 20 player right now.

24 PER, 24 ppg on 62% TS. there are about 3 guys in the league who can match his combination of scoring and efficiency.

Small sample size, and he's been awful on defense and as a rebounder, which hurts his value immensely as a 4 and a smallball 5. He's nowhere near a top 20 player right now, not even close. Hell of a scorer though.

Eh, I dunno. He's looked pretty lazy and lackadaisical on defense, but the Pels are massively better defensively with him on the floor, and are better rebounding with him on the floor as well. The Pelicans are a pretty good rebounding team, he gets 8 rebounds per 36, and he outrebounds his opposition overall for the year. He's definitely not an awful rebounder, he just could be a lot better at chasing them instead of simply boxing out. He's an elite offensive rebounder already, and a net positive for team defensive rebounding.

I think his biggest problem is that he doesn't take to the air defensively at all. I think it's conditioning and trying to save himself and not burn out, and also some post injury mental blocks that need to be overcome. Overall, he definitely needs to up the effort and intensity on that end, but he's a positive on this team, albeit a 19th ranked team defensively.

Serious question for people, and this isn't a "gotcha" or trying to gloat or whatever, but where do people think or expected him to land as a scorer as a rookie? I don't think anyone would have had him as a more potent scorer than a rookie version of Shaquille O'Neal, but he is scoring virtually the same amount of points per game, but more efficiently from the field and the foul line, and doing it in 10 less minutes. Per 36, I think he's only behind Wilt Chamberlain amongst prominent scorers, and his FG% is thrashing any other rookie scorer that isn't putting up like less than 10 points or something. It's a 23 game sample, but he's also not in the shape people thought he would enter the NBA at clearly, and he had a ton of time off due to a knee injury, and came immediately off that going bananas.

23 games isn't a full season, but it's way more than enough to tell he's one of the most dominant scoring rookies to ever lace up, even with a ton going wrong for him to start. Where do people think he would have been if he was healthy and playing at his college weight? Genuinely curious. Did anyone have him putting up 22.4 a game on 58.8% in less than 28 minutes per game?

[AussieBuck]

Sucks that he's gotten fat of late but it seems he's getting into better shape as he goes along, looks a bit quicker each game. Frightening how unstoppable he is in the pick and roll given his condition. If he can get in shape he's West Giannis.

[Sign5]

Sucks that he's gotten fat of late but it seems he's getting into better shape as he goes along, looks a bit quicker each game. Frightening how unstoppable he is in the pick and roll given his condition. If he can get in shape he's West Giannis.

Yea i always looked at Zion as a different variant of Giannis. The same way Giannis dominates mvp-style with his ridiculous length, agility, athleticism, IQ is the same way I see Zion dominating. Only switch the ridiculous length with bulk/strength and mind-boggling bounce and foot speed.

[PhilBlackson]

Just becoming more and more skeptic that sadly this kid’s career is just not gonna become what the incredible upside he could have had but it’s becoming painfully clear he’s having a helluva hard time maintaining his weight...

As those who have lived into their 30s, you know it only gets harder and harder to keep your weight down especially as you “fill into your man body”. This is a just about coming out of teenage Zion and the kid looks heavy af like his body type is gonna fill out like Tractor not Barkley. Unless he makes some DRASTIC changes to his diet (which I’m sure by most humans’ standards is fairly good) I think he’s gonna be a story of what coulda been, hoping for damn sure to be wrong.

[AussieBuck]

Sucks that he's gotten fat of late but it seems he's getting into better shape as he goes along, looks a bit quicker each game. Frightening how unstoppable he is in the pick and roll given his condition. If he can get in shape he's West Giannis.

Yea i always looked at Zion as a different variant of Giannis. The same way Giannis dominates mvp-style with his ridiculous length, agility, athleticism, IQ is the same way I see Zion dominating. Only switch the ridiculous length with bulk/strength and mind-boggling bounce and foot speed.

100%, people get hung up on appearance but those dudes are sooooo close otherwise in their games.

[D.Brasco]

Read on Twitter

Zion being rested again.

[wco81]

19 year old needing rest?

He should be put on a stationary bike for the whole game if they don't play him.

[NY 567]

A kid who just turned 20 year old who plays 15 minutes a night and who has played a handful of games in the past 4 months needs to sit out of a back to back for rest, lmfao. Absolute embarrassment.

[NY 567]

Sucks that he's gotten fat of late but it seems he's getting into better shape as he goes along, looks a bit quicker each game. Frightening how unstoppable he is in the pick and roll given his condition. If he can get in shape he's West Giannis.

Yea i always looked at Zion as a different variant of Giannis. The same way Giannis dominates mvp-style with his ridiculous length, agility, athleticism, IQ is the same way I see Zion dominating. Only switch the ridiculous length with bulk/strength and mind-boggling bounce and foot speed.

100%, people get hung up on appearance but those dudes are sooooo close otherwise in their games.

As scorers perhaps, but they're absolutely worlds apart as defenders and rebounders. Giannis is one of the games best at defending and rebounding the ball, Zion is one of the worst.

[Kordic27]

A kid who just turned 20 year old who plays 15 minutes a night and who has played a handful of games in the past 4 months needs to sit out of a back to back for rest, lmfao. Absolute embarrassment.

If he has to load manage now, how will they manage his time when he's old? Like, when he's 25?

[levon]

He needs the opposite of rest, no?

[Crizzle]

He looks like an injury waiting to happen. I would not play him until he looks significantly better