Zion Williamson's response to conditioning critiques was classy as heck

Zion Williamson has come under fire recently over concerns about his conditioning. The New Orleans Pelicans reached the In-Season Tournament semifinals, but their 13-11 record places 10th in a crowded Western Conference. Williamson has been mostly healthy to date, but his production has been trending in the wrong direction.

Since the Pelicans selected him No. 1 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, Williamson's physique has been under a microscope. He is a truly singular athlete, listed at 6-foot-6 and 284 pounds with unrivaled vertical explosiveness. It's difficult to fathom a player with the frame of an NFL defensive lineman playing above the rim to the extent Williamson does.

Injuries have been an unfortunate and significant part of Williamson's career arc to date. He has only played more than 30 games once in four full NBA seasons. He's through 20 games unscathed in 2023-24, but limited mobility and chronic laziness on defense have kept him at bay. Williamson is still an exceptional offensive talent, but we have seen him operate like a top-10 NBA player in the past. Right now, he just doesn't look right.

For the season, Williamson is averaging 22.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on .584/.333/.658 splits. He's at 67.1 percent inside five feet, so Williamson is still automatic in the painted area. He's also averaging the most assists of his career and the fewest turnovers (2.7) since his rookie campaign, so there is room for positivity.

The defense, however, has been a genuine problem. Williamson falls asleep off the ball and gets continually roasted in space. He's an easy target for opposing offenses. That should never be the case for a generational athlete with Williamson's baked-in potential as a weak-side rim protector and roamer. There's a version of Williamson that changes the geometry of games on defense, but that's not the version we are currently being treated to.

Following the Pelicans' loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the IST — a game in which Williamson scored 13 points in a 44-point loss — the NBA on TNT crew offered frank assessments of Zion's season to date (h/t UPROXX).

"Does not run hard — it’s not a diss, this is gonna be a lesson from one great big man to another guy that can be a great,” said Shaquille O'Neal. “Does not run hard. I had the same problem my first, second year — I thought I was running hard. Charles talks about this all the time, my talent’s gonna get me 20. When I start going to 20, 30, and 40, it’s because I started doing certain things."

Charles Barkley expressed many of the same sentiments.

"The thing that disturbs me is he’s not a young kid. When Moses [Malone] told me I was fat and lazy, I was a rookie. He’s been in the league long enough — he’s got two guys on the team who are better players than him and they shouldn’t be. He was the No. 1 pick in the Draft. He should be a better player than [Brandon] Ingram, we like Ingram. Obviously, we love C.J. [McCollum]. He should be the best player and he’s not close."

Zion Williamson responds to criticism from Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley

It's difficult to argue with either Shaq or Chuck here. Neither has anything close to a perfect track record when it comes to basketball opinions, but both can relate to Williamson on very specific terms. Barkley was a cornerstone comparison to Williamson coming out of Duke. Very few players have emerged with that body type and athletic profile. If there's any former player who can cut to the core of Williamson's problems on the court and in the gym, it's probably Barkley.

When presented with the comments from Shaq and Barkley at a recent press conference, Williamson offered a classy and respectful response.

"If it comes from a great place and a place where they just want to see me do better... thank you. If it comes from anywhere else, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Can't control that."

Williamson has been a lightning rod for criticism dating back to the offseason. Stephen A. Smith recently went on ESPN's First Take to bandy about some irresponsible sourced comments about Williamson's eating habits. There's only one way for Zion to ultimately silence the noise, of course. He has to play better.

The Pelicans are still well-positioned in the West. Williamson could follow in the footsteps of early-career Joel Embiid and play himself into shape as the season progresses. Even if Williamson continues at his current pace, just putting together a full season would be a major step in the right direction. There's a lot of basketball left to be played, but Williamson is healthy. That is the most important takeaway from these first few weeks.

Despite rampant speculation about his unhappiness in NOLA, Williamson continues to express love for the city and the organization. The Pelicans haven't always done Williamson favors with his role or the personnel around him either. Willie Green has been more willing to embrace Williamson as the point forward he is lately, so there's reason to believe Williamson can positively progress as the season unfolds.

The Pelicans' next game comes Wednesday, Dec. 13 on the road against the Washington Wizards.