PORTLAND, OREGON – FEBRUARY 21: CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers and Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans shake hands after the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 128-115 during their game at Moda Center on February 21, 2020 in Portland, Oregon, Is Zion Williamson turning into the next Kawhi Leonard?. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
A lot of people have come to believe that Zion Williamson is not fully committed to the New Orleans‘ Pelicans organization. Former teammate and ESPN analyst JJ Redick called Williamson a detached teammate for not reaching out to newly acquired Pelican CJ McCollum upon joining the team.
Redick stated that Williamson hasn’t been close with the organization since his rookie season, as there were similar issues during the 2019-20 campaign. Although Redick’s statements are factual, Zion Williamson’s detachment from the organization likely has to do with his relationship with management, rather than his actual personality.
Is Zion Williamson turning into the next Kawhi Leonard?: Personality
Before coming into the NBA, the perception around Williamson was that he was always an upbeat guy. His former head coach, Mike Krzyzewski, said that Zion has an infectious personality – people are always happy to be around him.
Former teammate RJ Barrett echoed those sentiments, saying that Williamson is a people person who can talk to anyone. However, upon entering the league, the perception around Williamson changed due to his relationship with President of Basketball Operations David Griffin.
Before the last preseason game of his rookie campaign, the Pelicans announced that Zion would miss that game against the Knicks due to right knee soreness. The diagnosis didn’t tell the whole truth about what was occurring with Williamson’s right knee, as he underwent orthoscopic surgery to remove a portion of his right meniscus on October 21, 2019.
After his surgery, the Pelicans announced that he would return to action in six to eight weeks, which would have put him on the court in mid-to-late December. Unfortunately, the Pelicans kept him out for a month longer than was anticipated because they wanted to re-teach him how to walk and run properly to reduce the risk of future knee injuries.
Before this injury, Williamson walked and ran with his knees facing inwards. According to Doctor Brian Sutterer. Walking with your knees facing inwards puts extra stress on the ACL ligament, increasing the likelihood of an injury occurring.
Zion Williamson supported the Pelicans publicly, as he told ESPN’s Jorge Sedano on Christmas that he was fully on board with the team’s plan. However, Williamson and his family had different sentiments in private.
The Williamson family showed increased frustration that the Pelicans put Zion through so many hoops to return to action. His family felt that he was ready to go after the initial timetable ended. The family blamed Griffin for the prolonged absence.
New Orleans</a>‘ Pelicans organization. Former teammate and ESPN analyst JJ Redick called Williamson a detached teammate for not reaching out to newly acquired Pelican CJ McCollum upon joining the team.</p>
<p>Redick stated that Williamson hasn’t been close with the organization since his rookie season, as there were similar issues during the 2019-20 campaign. Although Redick’s statements are factual, Zion Williamson’s detachment from the organization likely has to do with his relationship with management, rather than his actual personality.</p>
<h2>Is Zion Williamson turning into the next Kawhi Leonard?: Personality</h2>
<p>Before coming into the NBA, the perception around Williamson was that he was always an upbeat guy. His former<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/27/zion-williamson-kawhi-leonard/"https://www.gq.com/story/duke-new-devils-zion-barrett-reddish-jones" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> head coach, Mike Krzyzewski, said</a> that Zion has an infectious personality – people are always happy to be around him.</p>
<p>Former teammate RJ Barrett echoed those sentiments, saying that Williamson is a people person who can talk to anyone. However, upon entering the league, the perception around Williamson changed due to his relationship with President of Basketball Operations David Griffin.</p>
<p>Before the last preseason game of his rookie campaign, the Pelicans announced that Zion would miss that game against the Knicks due to right knee soreness. The diagnosis didn’t tell the whole truth about what was occurring with Williamson’s right knee, as he underwent orthoscopic surgery to remove a portion of his right meniscus on October 21, 2019.</p>
<p>After his surgery, the Pelicans announced that he would return to action in six to eight weeks, which would have put him on the court in mid-to-late December. Unfortunately, the Pelicans kept him out for a month longer than was anticipated because they wanted to re-teach him how to walk and run properly to reduce the risk of future knee injuries.</p>
<p>Before this injury, Williamson walked and ran with his knees facing inwards. According to<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/27/zion-williamson-kawhi-leonard/"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGRnMIRCtDU&t=322s%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Doctor Brian Sutterer</a>. Walking with your knees facing inwards puts extra stress on the ACL ligament, increasing the likelihood of an injury occurring.</p>
<p>Zion Williamson supported the Pelicans publicly, as he told ESPN’s Jorge Sedano on Christmas that he was fully on board with the team’s plan. However, Williamson and his family had different sentiments in private.</p>
<p>The Williamson family showed increased frustration that the Pelicans put Zion through so many hoops to return to action. His family felt that he was ready to go after the initial timetable ended. The family blamed Griffin for the prolonged absence.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/27/zion-williamson-kawhi-leonard/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The Kawhi Leonard situation </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-442459" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/27/zion-williamson-kawhi-leonard/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F145857920.jpeg" alt="Is Zion Williamson turning into the next Kawhi Leonard?" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/145857920.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/145857920-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – JUNE 06: Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs talks with teammates Kawhi Leonard #2, Manu Ginobili #20, Tim Duncan #21 and DeJuan Blair #45 of the San Antonio Spurs against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena on June 6, 2012 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Is Zion Williamson turning into the next Kawhi Leonard?. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Is Zion Williamson turning into the next Kawhi Leonard?: Leonard’s story</h2>
<p>Williamson’s drama with the Pelicans has some parallels to Kawhi Leonard’s issues with the San Antonio Spurs back in 2017. Leonard and the Spurs disagreed on how to treat a quad injury during that season.</p>
<p>The Spurs <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/27/zion-williamson-kawhi-leonard/"https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23366667/inside-tension-kawhi-leonard-spurs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called the injury quadriceps tendon tendinopathy</a>. The diagnosis essentially meant that the team felt that Leonard’s quadricep tendon would never get better because it was constantly exhausted. Unfortunately, the Leonard family felt differently.</p>
<p>They felt that the quadriceps muscle had developed a callous and had hardened from several deep contusions he had received over the last year. The repeated trauma to muscle caused it to atrophy affecting the surrounding areas.</p>
<p>The difference in opinions resulted in Leonard only playing in nine games for the team during the 2017-18 season because he didn’t trust the organization’s medical staff. Leonard’s refusal to play led to several teammates calling him out.</p>
<p>For example, former Spurs point guard, Tony Parker, stated that he had a worse quad injury than Leonard the prior season and was already back on the court. These types of comments led to Leonard being a detached teammate.</p>
<p>He wouldn’t show up to games, practices, or talk to teammates that often. Leonard would spend most of his time in New York with the doctors he trusted to find answers for his injury.</p>
<p>The chasm between the Spurs and Leonard was so big that he asked for a trade. Leonard preferred to go to one of the teams in his home state – either the Lakers or the Clippers.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the Spurs refused because they didn’t want to cave into Leonard’s demands. Consequently, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and draft picks.</p>
<p>Throughout the whole Leonard ordeal, the Spurs’ behavior has contributed to them only being a playing tournament team once Leonard left the franchise. If they had listened to Leonard, perhaps he would still be in San Antonio, and they would have had more success as a team.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/27/zion-williamson-kawhi-leonard/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The solution </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – NOVEMBER 13: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans speaks with David Griffin executive vice president of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on November 13, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Is Zion Williamson turning into the next Kawhi Leonard?. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Is Zion Williamson turning into the next Kawhi Leonard?: The solution</h2>
<p>The Leonard vs. San Antonio Spurs saga should be a cautionary tale for the New Orleans Pelicans when dealing with Williamson. This is because the organization and Williamson have grown further apart ever since the initial injury.</p>
<p>For example, Williamson wanted the team to re-sign Lonzo Ball this past offseason because the two had such a strong bond. However, the team chose to sign Devonte Graham instead of re-signing Ball.</p>
<p>The increased rift between the Pelicans and Zion has resulted in him deciding to rehab his latest lower-body injury in Portland, Oregon, rather than being with the team. In fact, according to Jay Williams of ESPN, Zion Williamson hasn’t shown up to a Pelicans’ practice or game since mid-December.</p>
<p>Consequently, if the Pelicans want to repair their relationship with Williamson, they should consider hiring new management who will listen to his demands instead of ignoring them.</p>
<p>Suppose Pelicans’ ownership refuses to hire new management. In that case, they will most likely be in the same situation that the San Antonio Spurs were in with Kawhi Leonard – once their disgruntled superstar leaves, they will not have the same success.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="NBA Power Rankings Week 19" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/25/nba-power-rankings-week-19/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/27/zion-williamson-kawhi-leonard/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/25/nba-power-rankings-week-19/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> NBA Power Rankings Week 19 </a> </div>
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