Zion Williamson not interested in adding key elements to his game?

Sep 27, 2021; New Orleans, LA, USA; Zion Williamson during a press conference at the New Orleans Pelicans Media Day. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

Zion Williamson’s stance on improving his offensive game may very well be … “Nah, I don’t really feel like it.”

Veteran NBA reporter Ric Bucher made a big claim about the New Orleans Pelicans star Williamson in an episode of his podcast this week. Bucher said that he has been told Williamson is not interested in adding some important elements to his game that would make him tougher to guard.

“Where are the floaters, up and under layups, his pull up jumpers at the elbow?” said Bucher of Williamson, per HoopsHype. “Now from what I’ve been told, he’s shown no interest in developing any of those tricks.

“[Those are] tricks that Blake Griffin learned along with a decent three-point shot when the injuries started to pile up for him and allowed him to single-handedly drag the Detroit Pistons to a playoff berth,” Bucher added. “It may not seem as impressive as what he did with the [LA] Clippers in his heyday. But to me, what he did with Detroit was a true reflection of how he learned to play the game when he no longer had that freakish athleticism.”

The explosive 284-pound Williamson is obviously at his best when he is playing with force and power. But without any complementary moves, that kind of skillset can become rather one-dimensional once NBA defenses figure out how to adjust to you.

Griffin is indeed a great example of a player who was an industrial hammer in the paint when he was younger but couldn’t really do much outside of it. But he worked extremely hard to develop his game over the years, adding a reliable jumper and improving on his footwork and playmaking to become a complete all-around NBA player (at least before injuries sapped him).

For Williamson, whose work ethic has already been questioned many times before, it does not sound like he is willing to put in that same effort. When you combine that with his weight concerns and an inability to stay healthy for even half a season, you can understand why the Pelicans are reportedly considering a drastic move with Williamson.