Toronto Raptors: Looking back at a special opening night

Zion Williamson

I’m not sold on Zion. Not by a long shot. Too many times have promising college players fallen short of being able to handle the 82-game NBA season. Too many times have this type of player failed to learn the systems involved in playing the game at such a high level.

I was looking forward to seeing Zion play extended minutes so that my view could either be confirmed or adjusted as necessary. Turns out, his not being able to play due to the necessity of knee surgery pretty much validated my general sense of underwhelmed-ness. He’s projected to be out 6 -8 weeks.

Like many others, I seeing Williamson’s weight coming out of college was a reason the at least ask the question. And can we take a moment to remember that he played only nine minutes of Summer League before a knee problem sidelined him? His hops and dunks are flashy and fun to watch but don’t erase the other concerns.

David Griffin, the Pelicans VP of Basketball Operations made a pretty impassioned statement about the narrative that Zion’s knee issues have nothing to do with his conditioning. And the way he chose to argue it… well let’s just say methinks he doth protest too much.

Let me explain.

To make his point Griffin said:

"I’ve seen a lot of the narrative out there about him. That his happened because he’s not in shape and he’s too big. That kid’s a freak of nature. When he went through his physical, he ran on the treadmill longer than the cardio stress test people have ever needed to put anybody through a test to get his heart rate up."

So fine, he can run lots without getting his heart rate up. Excellent. But what does that have to do with his knees?

Yes, he genetically physically gifted. There’s no question about that. Sure, he’s in solid physical condition from a body fat percentage point of view. Griffin went on to say that he can be 274 lbs 8.5 percent body fat or 280 lbs and nine percent body fat. Those numbers would be excellent if he was a football player.

As a basketball player, with the constant running up and down the floor without the benefit of stoppages between downs and the pivoting movements that are more present in basketball than most other sports, that kind of weight, even if it is mostly muscle is hard on knees.

The fact that he’s 19 years old and this isn’t his first or second knee injury in his career kinda says it all. To have a long NBA career, he’s going to have to slim down. I think there are ways he can still be a big presence down low with a more joint-friendly frame. And that kind of career decision will only mean he maintains those explosive hops farther into his career.

For his sake, I hope he realizes that sooner than later or that someone in his personal life or the Pelican’s medical staff sees it. I’d hate for him to be one of those, “I wonder what would have happened if…” NBA stories.