Even though heās undeniably gifted, Zion Williamson has only played in 85 out of 226 possible regular season games since entering the NBA. Needless to say, that should worry the New Orleans Pelicans.
There have been multiple reports about Zionās alleged poor work ethic. JJ Redick called him a ādetached teammate,ā and some stated that he even fell asleep during film sessions. Add those injury concerns to the mix, and things donāt look so good for him.
Thatās why the latest reports state that the Pelicans arenāt willing to sign him to a fully-guaranteed contract. Also, thatās why Shaquille OāNeal believes he should sign a short-term contract and then leave.
NBA News: Shaq Says Zion Williamson Should Join The Lakers
āSo if I was him, I say, āOkay, no problem. Iāll take it,'ā Shaq said on his podcast. ā$90 (million) for 3, which is still 30 million a year. And then after that, third year with the way I play, youāre gonna get offers of 350 to 400, 500 million from other teams.ā
āAnd then you say, āYou know what, New Orleans? Remember that little thing you did back in the day? Now Iām going to the Lakers. Remember that little thing you did and you embarrassed me? And you didnāt have this conversation with me first and you wanna put this on Legion Hoops dot com? Well, Iām leaving you right now for 500 million for somebody elseā,ā Shaq added.
Zion Doesnāt Have A Weight Problem, Says Shaq
Shaq also believes that thereās nothing wrong with Zionās body. Even though heās suffered multiple setbacks in his recovery and endured countless injuries, Shaq doesnāt think Zion is overweight.
āI donāt think he has a weight problem, heās just big-boned. Listen, the man out there doing windmills. Iām out of shape and Iām leading the league in scoring,ā the Big Diesel added.
Williamson is talented and dominant, but he needs to be available. Heās shown glimpses of greatness when healthy but that has rarely happened. So, how could you blame the franchise for having second thoughts?
