On March 23, Beijing time, according to NBA celebrity Shams, it is expected that Zion season reimbursement is expected. He has started shooting training and has recovered from his foot injury, but will not make a comeback this season. Last offseason, Fat Tiger suffered a fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot during training, and this season was reimbursed for not playing.
Comparing the data of Oden and Zion in the first three years, Auden played 82 games in the first three seasons of his career, averaging 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Fat Tiger played 85 games in the first three seasons of his career, averaging 25.7 points, 7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Fans commented: Behind them, one is called Durant, the other is called Morant, both are the best rookies.
Some media also feel that the Fat Tiger is not necessarily the next Oden: Don't forget, Embiid has only played 31 games in his first three seasons. Before the 2014 draft, Embiid underwent surgery for a stress fracture of his right foot, and was reimbursed for his rookie season without playing; in the summer of 2015, Embiid underwent a foot scaphobular bone transplant, which was reimbursed for the second season of his career.
Entering the NBA in the summer of 2014, Embiid did not make his career debut until October 26, 2016. In the 2016-17 season, Embiid played 31 games, averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. Look at the average of the first three seasons of the Fat Tiger: 25.7 points, 7 rebounds and 3.2 assists, completely without losing to Embiid in the same period.
Oden and Embiid are both nicknamed Emperors, which Emperor do you think Zion will follow in his career? In the 2020-21 season, Zion averaged 27 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, and was named to the All-Star bench. He then replaced Embiid as Durant's starter. Fat Tiger is the first post-00s player to be selected for the NBA All-Star Game.
Zion is currently on a rookie contract: $44.27 million for 4 years, expiring in the summer of 2023. According to reporter Anthony Puccio, this summer, Fat Tiger is eligible for a five-year, $181 million early renewal contract. The question now is, would the Pelicans be willing to give him such a big contract without a full recovery?
There are three main reasons that can stop the Pelicans from giving Zion a big contract: 1. injury; 2. his self-discipline; 3. his tension with the team. We have already said about the injury situation, and the self-discipline is also known to everyone: the fat tiger weighed more than 330 pounds (150 kilograms) at one point during the recuperation period. Some media said that Fat Tiger likes to drink high-sugar drinks.
On March 9, reporter Bill Simmons revealed that Zion had lost 24 pounds (about 10.9 kilograms). Even so, the fat tiger still weighs about 140 kilograms, and when he first enters the league, it will be 129 kilograms. In order to shatter the doubts, Zion posted a video of himself changing hands under the crotch dunk, it seems that the foot injury is no problem, but this size...
Zion's relationship with the team is also a factor influencing the Pelicans' contract extension: he left the team in January to deal with injuries, and the relationship with management is very tense. Pelican reporter Christian Clark reports that Zion left the team because he didn't trust David Griffin, vice president of basketball operations, nor did he trust the Pelicans medical team.
During the Fat Tigers' departure, the Pelicans sent an email to the team's season ticket holders for next season, mentioning Ingram, Valanciunas and McCollum, but not Zion's name...
Do you think the Pelicans will give Zion a 5-year, $181 million early contract extension?