Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson are both exciting talents who came into the NBA with a lot of promise.
While Luka Doncic managed to fulfill some of the expectations by making it to the NBA Finals once, Zion Williamson is yet to deliver on the biggest stage.
Both of these stars have had big moments, but one thing that has been a hindrance to their progress is conditioning.
Doncic and Williamson struggle to stay in shape, which seems to affect them as they get injured quite frequently.
Despite the criticism, both these All-Stars have made efforts to take care of their bodies.
However, former NBA player Jim Jackson has revealed that the conditioning of one of these players worries him.
Jackson is more concerned about Williamson’s conditioning
Williamson was drafted first overall in the 2019 draft, but in his first few years, he struggled with injuries.
He was criticized for not being fit and also was spotted overweight multiple times during the season.
Meanwhile, Doncic has had conditioning problems throughout his career, but that never seemed to bother him as he continued dropping big performances for his side.
He has been hustling hard to be in good shape for the season and Jackson revealed this as one of the reasons why he is more concerned about Williamson.
Speaking on the Dan Patrick Show, Jackson said: “Zion. Zion changed, he changed his body. Both concern me, but I think Luka, there’s something about him, I think this right here, this move, last season and going into this summer with all these questions, I think is a little bit different.
“Zion is still in the same place.”
Next season will be massive for Zion Williamson
Williamson’s stint with the New Orleans Pelicans has not only been marred by injuries, but also off the court controversies.
Despite all of that, the team has maintained their trust in him, but next season will probably be his last chance at proving himself as the franchise star.
The team has tried to put a lot of pieces around Williamson, but the Pelicans have failed to make any noise in the playoffs.
Joe Dumars was announced as the president of the team and under his tenure they have already made some big trades, including bringing dynamic guard Jordan Poole and adding veteran center Kevon Looney to the roster.
The former Detroit Pistons player is a renowned executive from his time with the team.
Under him, Williamson will have to prove his ability to continue getting the star privileges.
Having been in the NBA for five seasons, the 25-year-old is still to play more than 70 games.
| Season | Games Played | Points | Rebounds | Field Goal % |
| 2024-25 | 30 | 24.6 | 7.2 | 56.7% |
| 2023-24 | 70 | 22.9 | 5.8 | 57% |
| 2022-23 | 29 | 26 | 7 | 60.8% |
He averaged 24 points last season in under 30 minutes, which showed that Williamson has the tools to deliver.
However, the two-time All-Star will have to work hard on his fitness to ensure he can stay fit for the entire Pels campaign.
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