Having not played a single game in 2023 due to his hamstring injury, Zion Williamson has once once more spent a lot of time in the infirmary this season. Too much in the eyes of Pelicans general manager David Griffin, who did not hesitate to put Zion before his responsibilities.
CJ McCollum said it immediately following the Pels’ elimination once morest the Thunder a few days ago: “If you want to be ambitious, you have to be complete.”
No need to be a genius to understand that the veteran full-back was talking regarding Zion Williamson in particular. Only 29 games played this season for Zion, including 0 in 2023. Blame it on a hamstring injury picked up in December, which should have initially kept him away from the pitch for a few weeks but those weeks turned into months following a relapse in February. And if we believe David Griffin, on the physical level, Williamson was not close to a return to the play-in tournament, contrary to what Zion might imply a few days ago.
“Physically, he was not allowed to play. He was 1v0 in training. He was dunking in the warm-up, but that’s not what allows you to play 5v5. So people who say, ‘He chose not to play’, that doesn’t make sense.
When a player is in the rehabilitation phase, he obviously has to go through several stages before returning to the NBA courts. Playing 5v5, with contact, is usually the last test. And according to Griffin, Zion hadn’t even been cleared to play 3-on-3 yet, meaning his potential comeback was far from imminent.
Zion was never medically cleared to play following he injured his hamstring. For anyone who watched closely, it was clear he was out of shape. Asked regarding Zion’s availability issues, David Griffin said, “I think a big part is on him.” https://t.co/Q7AudE18Cl
— Christian Clark (@cclark_13) April 14, 2023
In addition to having made all this clear, David Griffin also put Zion Williamson before his responsibilities following this new extended absence.
“I think it has a lot to do with it. There are many things he can do better. And I think he would say the same to you.”
Come on, that’s said.
If the boss of basketball operations didn’t go into detail, we can start to make some connections that are rather troubling regarding Zion. Do you remember the statement of CJ McCollum mentioned at the very beginning of the article? This is what the Pels full-back also told the press just recently: “You have to do everything possible off the pitch in terms of preparation, to heal yourself, sleep well, hydrate well, eat well.
Without wanting to draw hasty conclusions regarding Zion, it’s hard not to make the connection. David Griffin does not however put everything on the shoulders of his star, he who has taken his share of responsibility with the medical staff of the Pels.
“We have very competent people in the medical staff. But we need to do a better job of translating that into availability.
We need to do a better job of examining this situation thoroughly. We have to find a way to put him in the best position to succeed, and his collaboration in all of this is important.
Once once more, a part of mystery reigns around an injury to Zion Williamson, and his work ethic to find the grounds is questioned even internally. As a reminder, the number 1 of the 2019 Draft only played 114 games in four NBA seasons. This is far too little to have a real impact on the success of his franchise.
Source texte : nola.com
