NBA news: There has been a lot of talk surrounding Zion Williamson’s future with the New Orleans Pelicans. So much so, that there were some whispers about the Pels potentially considering a sensational trade prior to the recently-concluded NBA Draft. Nothing materialized, but at this point, it appears that the 23-year-old’s cornerstone superstar status in New Orleans might no longer be as unbreakable as it once was.
NBA News: Zion Williamson Talks Accountability
Injuries have been a major issue for Zion. In four seasons with New Orleans, the former No. 1 overall pick has played a grand total of just 114 games. Last season, he suited up just 29 times the entire year.
This summer, Williamson has been involved in some scandalous off-court issues after he announced that he was having a baby girl. At least two women came forward with some nasty allegations about the former Duke star and his supposed infidelity.
For his part, however, Zion seems to be willing to learn from all his shortcomings — both past and present. He did not address his current issues directly, but the Pels superstar admits that he still remains to be a work in progress:
“Like Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] taught me, I have to own up to my responsibilities,” said Williamson, via Rod Walker of nola.com. “There are a lot of things I could have done better. I didn’t. I’m in the process of fixing those wrongs.”
The good thing about Zion is that not only has he accepted his mistakes, but also, he appears to have already identified his demons. These are always the first steps one needs to take in order to really grow as a person.
“It’s that invincibility trait,” Williamson said. “When you’re young, you feel like can’t nothing stop you.
“… It’s hard, man. When you’re 20 (years old), 22. Have all the money in the world. It feels like all the money in the world. It’s hard.”
NBA News: Can Zion Williamson Follow Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Path To Greatness?
There’s no denying that Zion Williamson still has a lot of untapped potential. For all we know, we’ve barely scratched the surface in terms of his true ceiling. However, what also cannot be denied is that this young man still has a long way to go.
Take Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo for instance. The Greek Freak may have taken an entirely different path, but at the end of the day, Zion will surely want to replicate the level of success Giannis has achieved with the Bucks.
Through all these years, Giannis has also remained loyal to Milwaukee — something that Williamson can still achieve at this point in his career. Antetokounmpo has pretty much done it all in the NBA, and so long as he puts the work in — and of course, with a little bit of good fortune — I don’t see why Zion can’t follow in Giannis’ footsteps in the near future.
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