Zion Williamson sends warning to rest of NBA ahead of new season

Dec 17, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Zion Williamson appears to be ready for his revenge tour.

The New Orleans Pelicans star Williamson spoke with Will Guillory of The Athletic this week as part of a lengthy feature. In the interview, Williamson was asked what fans can expect from him heading into the new season and responded that he was going to be out for vengeance.

“I’m out for straight vengeance,” said Williamson. “Not against any particular person. Just for myself.”

Guillory’s feature notes that Williamson, 24, has been doing twice-daily workouts this offseason (beginning at the crack of dawn for his first of the day) and has also improved his relationship with the Pelicans organization (a big issue in the past). You can read Guillory’s full feature here.

Though largely inhibited by injuries and weight problems to this point of his NBA career, Williamson took a major step in the right direction last season. He appeared in a career-high 70 games and averaged a very well-rounded line of 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per contest (though his year did still end frustratingly with a hamstring injury suffered in New Orleans’ play-in game).

The results of Williamson’s offseason work appear to be speaking for themselves as he was looking very slim in some viral photos last month. The former No. 1 overall pick is also reported to be a much more modest weight these days. With Williamson now entering his sixth NBA season, he seems to be putting his money where his mouth is to get to where he needs to be.