This is the designated thread for Zion hot takes/memes

[donnieme]

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

That point at 00:15 is also how lazy he has been when put in PnRoll situations. It's not great to bash a rookie but if no one calls it out he'll be on his way to being a PF Harden, whom funny enough started his NBA career playing way better defense than this

[DaddyCool19]

Any idea how much he weighs right now?

[sikma42]

If the min restriction was 15 I wouldn't play him at the end of the game. I think it was the correct move.

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?

Sent from my SM-N960U using RealGM mobile app

[Jimmy Recard]

Watch on YouTube

At the 0:38 mark, Joe Ingles fast/slowbreak for the layup and told Zion Williamson, "Step your fat ass to the side." What kind of defensive effort is that? That's only a minute into the game. The Duke Zion could have caught the shot in mid air

I love Ingles

But damn, embarrassing defensive effort there from Zion.

[Duke4life831]

If the min restriction was 15 I wouldn't play him at the end of the game. I think it was the correct move.

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?

Sent from my SM-N960U using RealGM mobile app

Then if you're Gentry, why play him the 3-4 minutes at the start of the 4th quarter instead of at the end? Its the same reason coaches sit players when they get in foul trouble, so they will be available at the end of the game just in case its a tight game. I think Zion has been horrible defensively, but no doubt they could've used his offense late in that game yesterday. It seems like him sitting on the bench because Gentry used up all his minutes sounds like really poor planning by Gentry.

That also leads to what I think is the most important question, why does Zion have a 15 minute restriction? That seems very troubling.

[jokeboy86]

I hope Gentry and Griffin are ready because if the Pelicans don’t make the playoffs, ESPN is going to rip them a new one 24/7. They’re all in on Zion and are banking on him heavily from a marketing/ratings standpoint so if the Pelicans brass don’t play him to their liking or showcase him enough and they don’t make the playoffs, ESPN( and probably other national tv heads) will focus on them. They already don’t like that he ended up in New Orleans and would love to start the narrative “Zion should leave N.O.” as early as possible.

[dautjazz]

If the min restriction was 15 I wouldn't play him at the end of the game. I think it was the correct move.

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?

Sent from my SM-N960U using RealGM mobile app

Then if you're Gentry, why play him the 3-4 minutes at the start of the 4th quarter instead of at the end? Its the same reason coaches sit players when they get in foul trouble, so they will be available at the end of the game just in case its a tight game. I think Zion has been horrible defensively, but no doubt they could've used his offense late in that game yesterday. It seems like him sitting on the bench because Gentry used up all his minutes sounds like really poor planning by Gentry.

That also leads to what I think is the most important question, why does Zion have a 15 minute restriction? That seems very troubling.

He has a 15 minute restriction cause he weighs around 300lbs and he's 6'6", and he has a 45" vertical leap. That combination of being overweight and athletic is DANGEROUS.

[tanuki1031]

Everyone got bamboozled. Gearing up for the NBA restart had so much buzz about the Pelicans being included, Zion having a chance to propel the team and make up lost ground for ROY on Morant, Zion himself declaring he's ready and raring to go.

NBA restarts. Zion on a low minutes restriction, mad out of shape, plays only during non-critical times. GG.
Anyone who voted Zion on their ROTY/All-NBA Rookie ballots should be banned from voting.

[w3027193]

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.

What does a personal chef have to do with eating healthy? Eating healthy has to be a decision a person makes him/herself. There is an incredible lack of education on fitness and nutrition in the United States. (Thanks big corporate lobbyists) Eating healthy is very easy if you put your mind to it. It's not expensive. It does take more time to prepare, I'll give you that.

You wouldn't be in better shape because, if you were in the scenario you described, you would have money/power and you would still have weak willpower. You would say, I'm getting ice cream.

All Zion (you) has to do is educate yourself about nutrition and fitness. He (you) need to understand why he (you) are being recommended to do what trainers say, otherwise he (you) will combat and disregard recommendations. That's human nature.

Everybody on this board is so concerned with covid which certainly has some legitimate reasons. Obesity is by far the biggest killer in the world, especially the fat United States. Obesity has major links to virtually all diseases.

How about we all educate ourselves on the subject and we can all be happy and healthier for it.

[Chandan]

Watch on YouTube

At the 0:38 mark, Joe Ingles fast/slowbreak for the layup and told Zion Williamson, "Step your fat ass to the side." What kind of defensive effort is that? That's only a minute into the game. The Duke Zion could have caught the shot in mid air

I love Ingles

But damn, embarrassing defensive effort there from Zion.

did jinglejoe just commented on a colleague's body in a place of work?

[Jstock12]

The 15-year veteran Zion, still on the Pels!



Still catching lobs from Lonzo!

[The_Hater]

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.

What does a personal chef have to do with eating healthy? Eating healthy has to be a decision a person makes him/herself. There is an incredible lack of education on fitness and nutrition in the United States. (Thanks big corporate lobbyists) Eating healthy is very easy if you put your mind to it. It's not expensive. It does take more time to prepare, I'll give you that.

You wouldn't be in better shape because, if you were in the scenario you described, you would have money/power and you would still have weak willpower. You would say, I'm getting ice cream.

All Zion (you) has to do is educate yourself about nutrition and fitness. He (you) need to understand why he (you) are being recommended to do what trainers say, otherwise he (you) will combat and disregard recommendations. That's human nature.

Everybody on this board is so concerned with covid which certainly has some legitimate reasons. Obesity is by far the biggest killer in the world, especially the fat United States. Obesity has major links to virtually all diseases.

How about we all educate ourselves on the subject and we can all be happy and healthier for it.

If eating healthy (and listing weight/staying in shape) was as easy as you make it out to be then everyone would be doing it and nobody would be struggling out there. Yet it takes willpower but everyone doesn’t have the same level of willpower and focus for every task/job. Some people (I would argue most people) need help and support.

A personal chef can help someone like Zion stick to a menu plan and eat and regular intervals, two things he’s likely struggling with as someone who just turned 20. And yes, Zion also needs to educate himself but it doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t better achieve his goals with a personal chef, a nutritionist and a personal trainer. Isn’t it clear at this point that he’s struggling to maintain a good physique on his own? Tons of professional athletes have hired these specific types of people to help them already.

[Sofia]

This but Zion’s face

[BladeDaywalker]

Watching Zion against the Clippers, he just looked like he has too much weight to be able to run up and down the court for over 30 minutes.

At this point, if you are only going to play him for just 15 minutes the rest of the way, then just shut him down for the season.

What exactly did the Pelicans learn or get by having Zion play 14 minutes against the Clippers?

[DaGawd]

So much for inviting the pelicans to the bubble to get in on the Zion hype..

[Duke4life831]

I've said it before, he went from being built like a middle linebacker, to being built like a defensive lineman. You see it in his face, in his shoulders and in his waist. He no longer has any kind of V shape to his body. His face and neck is much thicker.

And worst of all of it, he has drastically lost his stamina and agility.

[monopoman]

I've said it before, he went from being built like a middle linebacker, to being built like a defensive lineman. You see it in his face, in his shoulders and in his waist. He no longer has any kind of V shape to his body. His face and neck is much thicker.

And worst of all of it, he has drastically lost his stamina and agility.

Dude pulled a Felton, Felton came to the Blazers after the lockout and said he thought that the lockout would last all season. He came in out of shape big time and became a huge target for Blazer fans to voice their disgust of him because of that. To this day Felton receives boos when he comes into The Moda Center despite the fact he only played one season for Portland.

Keep in mind it is now also going on 8 years since he wore a Blazer jersey so fans showing they still remember him from back then.

[KungFuJoe]

Only two games but Zion looks bad. I've been watching him since his Jr year in high school. This isn't a matter of "he's playing with grown men now"...he looks like he doesn't even care on defense.

I wonder if he's going through some personal/mental issues right now.

- Knee injury set back
- All the talk about him having to learn to walk again
- Controversy around his family getting money illegally or whatever his former agent was trying to brew up
- Now on lock down with COVID raging the country (this might actually be affecting him the most)

He just looks disinterested. Even on offense. He can still score because he's THAT good...but he's not even really going for offensive rebounds. He has one move...some kind of hard dribble towards the basket and then a spin a move to his left hand. Or he looks for a back door cut.

[trwi7]

I fixed it for you.

(I'm only joking, Pels fans-- I saw an opportunity for a cheap joke and I took it because I'm a clown. Forgive me?)

"You know, Joe. Next week comes before the year 2048."

[Dacost]

He looks and plays like Zach Randolph but with with freakish jumping ability.

The defense is also just like ZBO.