On January 19, Beijing time, the NBA regular season entered All-Star Weekend, and Brian Windhorst, when attending a show, talked about the current situation of the genius and pelican rising star Zion, he mentioned: "The Pelicans' coaching staff and management have realized a few weeks ago that in the foreseeable future, they no longer expect Zion to return this season, and when the Pelicans made a deal about McCollum, they may have basically announced Zion season reimbursement." ”
In addition, Brian added: "Zion is eligible to reach an early contract extension with the Pelicans at the end of the season, and Zion is also interested in this. According to previous Pelican journalist Christian Clark, "Zion's right foot may need to undergo surgery again, but no plan has been determined yet." ”
Zion is a genius who entered the NBA through the draft in 2019, and he was also highly anticipated when he first entered the NBA, and his performance on the court can also be regarded as showing his outstanding talent, but the weight hazard has always accompanied his career. As of now, as the third season is coming to an end, Zion has only played in 85 games for the team, averaging 25.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game, shooting 60.4% from the field, and his dominance on the inside is comparable to that of O'Neal and Brother Alphabet.
Excellent physical condition, while bringing dominance to Zion, also increased the risk of injury. Zion suffered a knee injury in his rookie season, and in the offseason last year, Zion underwent right foot repair surgery because of a fracture of the fifth palm of his right foot, and was supposed to participate in the team's training in December, but his injury healed backwards, and he had to undergo injection treatment again to promote healing, and until now there is no specific comeback schedule.
Zion's talent has to be admitted, but the Pelicans' management is also really used to him. According to previous reports, Zion's weight gained sharply because he skipped his own rehabilitation, and he liked to drink high-sugar drinks and eat pizza very much, and was complained by the team reporter that he had no professionalism. The Pelicans are a small-ball city, and having Zion's presence can help the team gain exposure and good results, but it's clear that Zion doesn't have that ability right now.
The Pelicans already have Ingram and McCollum in their current roster, and if Zion can guarantee health, there is indeed a certain competitiveness, so I can understand the Pelicans' motivation for wanting to renew their contract with Zion, but the question is can Zion really guarantee his own health? Compared to Morant's performance now, I think Zion is obviously a bit drifty