The New Orleans Pelicans played it safe with Zion Williamson during his first season in the NBA. He was the first-overall pick and coming off an injury during his lone year at Duke University, so it was only normal to see them being cautious early on.
Williamson was held out for most of last season while getting his conditioning up and rehabbing his injured knee. He sat some back-to-backs and was on a strict minutes restriction, even when their season was on the line.
Now, Zion has a longer leash under coach Stan Van Gundy but the team continues to take it slowly with him. He's clearly a special talent with MVP potential, so they won't risk a career-jeopardizing injury so early on his journey as a professional.
Karl Malone Rips Zion Williamson For 'Getting Tired'
Notably, Zion Williamson has looked gassed and tired from time to time, especially at the end of last season. Clearly, he still needs to make some strides and get in better shape to make the most of his potential and not risk injury, given his huge frame.
That's why formerUtah Jazz star Karl Malone took a shot at him, claiming that he shouldn't be getting tired at 21-years-old, saying that he should be averaging roughly 40 minutes per game at this point:
"Zion needs to be averaging like 40 minutes per game... you're a 21 year old kid... your a** shouldn't be getting tired," the legendary power forward said in an interview with the 'Knucklehads' Podcast.
What's crazy is that Zion Williamson is actually averaging 32.8 minutes per game, while Karl Malone played just 30.0 minutes a night when he was his age. Still, he finished his career as the 2nd leading scorer in NBA history, so perhaps it's too early to call out Zion just yet.
