Zion Williamson has been overly criticized to start his career. If it wasn't the weight, then it was his reportedly poor work ethic. Then, JJ Redick claimed that he wasn't even a good teammate.
The New Orleans Pelicans traded for C.J. McCollum last season when Zion was out with an injury. Several days went by and McCollum admitted that he had yet to hear from Williamson, which didn't sit well with Redick.
Per the former sharpshooter and Los Angeles Clippers star, there's a minimum standard for decorum any player should live up to, and Zion had failed to reach that standard by not communicating with his new teammate.
Redick Called Zion A Detached Teammate
"This is a pattern that we're seeing with Zion, again and again, look, I was his teammate," Redick said. "I can describe him as a detached teammate. That is an accurate statement. This is just a basic, basic level of humanity being a teammate."
The Veteran Apologized To Zion
So, now that Zion is finally back on the court and leading the Pelicans through an impressive stretch, Redick didn't hesitate to backpedal and clear the air on his comments about the former first-overall pick:
“The first time was with Zion last year when CJ McCollum had given an interview at All-Star break, and they asked him what he and Zion had talked about," Redick said, per Bleacher Report. "CJ said, ‘I haven’t spoken to Zion.’ Which I thought was strange — CJ had played five games with the Pelicans at that point. … As a teammate I said he kinda distances himself or whatever, which is something that I said to Zion when I was his teammate. It wasn’t like this was the first time, I was just saying it publicly. But I wish I’d handled that differently, and I probably could have just avoided it altogether if I really wanted to.”
Zion continues to silence his critics on and off the court. There's no denying that, when healthy, he's got the potential to be the best player on Earth. Hopefully, he'll avoid missing more time with injuries.
