Much lighter, Zion Williamson regains his feelings

With 26 points at 10/15 to shoot, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in 33 minutes, Zion Williamson did he have his best game of the season in the loss against the Pacers, by a very big Myles Turner?

It is quite possible if we listen to the Pelicans player, who averages 23.1 points this season, at the end of this meeting. “I was much more comfortable”he explains so at the Times-Picayune. “I have better control of my game again, as it was before my injury. »

This injury was a fracture of the fifth metatarsal of the right foot contracted at the start of the 2021 offseason. Operated in stride, the Pelicans All-Star never returned to competition.

“I feel it coming back,” he continues. “I was able to do my rehabilitation as well as possible, to train, but competition is different. We face the best players in the world, we feel it. My feelings, my level of comfort are coming back. »

One of the things that makes the difference is Zion Williamson’s new weight. Last season, the images of the player showed that he was clearly overweight, and therefore the target of mockery on social networks in particular. In addition, many pointed out, at the same time, that the second choice of his Draft in 2019, Ja Morant, flirted with the level of a candidate for the MVP trophy.

“What people don’t understand, even journalists, is this impact: if they have children, that they imagine that someone is talking about their child like they talked about me”, regretted the Duke alum at Fox Sports. “They criticized my body, my look. We only talked about my weight, my bad figure. They did not realize their impact on me. »

Perfectionist, he does above all what he knows how to do

This summer, and like so many others before him, he hired a chef to prepare his meals for him. The goal was to lose weight but without losing muscle. Mission successful.

“I don’t know if I can say the number, but I’ll say this: he lost more than fifteen kilos, that’s for sure”, confirms the chef in question, Jhonas Lewis. “He was losing between three and four kilos a week. After three weeks, he saw the result. We couldn’t make him wear a jersey anymore. »

With his new body, Zion Williamson gives himself no limits, except that of being efficient above all. That’s why he doesn’t venture into countries he doesn’t know.

“There are a lot of things that I haven’t shown yet”, insures the interior of New Orleans. “These are abilities that I can show in training or one-on-one. But in a meeting, I’m such a perfectionist that I want to put all my shots. So I don’t take mid-range or 3-point shots. I am capable of doing all of this. I’m just a very perfectionist. »