"You are not a superstar because you are almost never available" - Stephen A. Smith thinks Zion Williamson should be considered a bust
Zion Williamson posted his second triple-double in two weeks when the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. Because of that, many are saying that a high-flying forward may be in the best shape of his career.
Williamson has dealt with weight issues throughout his career. Still, with how he's been playing since returning from injury and how fit he's looked on the basketball court, this may be when he finally leaps into NBA superstardom.
On the recent episode of First Take, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith praised Williamson for getting himself in tip-top shape. However, Smith isn't ready to call him a star just yet.
"Even though you are a superstar-caliber talent, you are not a superstar because you are almost never available," said SAS. "And as a result, because of that, instead of looking at his greatness and having an appreciation for it, and marveling at him for being on the basketball court. Instead, what we're saying to ourselves is 'What kind of impact can you really, really have?'"
Unavailability due to lack of durability
According to Smith, the 6'6" forward is putting up impressive numbers, including career highs in rebounds (7.3) and assists (5.3) this season. However, as with previous years, he's missed a significant number of games, which has hurt the Pelicans.
Williamson has sat out 38 out of the team's 65 games played so far this season, and he has not played at least five straight games this year. Because of his unavailability, the Pelicans are just 18-48 on the season and have the fourth-worst record in the league.
"You might be considered a bust, not because of your talent because clearly you are a superstar-caliber talent, it's because of the unavailability due to a lack of durability. And there's no way around that," added Smith. "Ja Morant has had his troubles on the court, off the court, whatever. And it is clear that he was the guy that was the better pick at this particular juncture in his career than even the great Zion Williamson. Because for all of his troubles, you can rely on him. That hasn't been the case with Zion, and that's a problem."
Zion was drafted ahead of Ja in 2019
Williamson was New Orleans' first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after a one-and-done season at Duke, where he was a consensus First Team All-American and the College Player of the Year. With his crazy athletic ability, many thought he would be the next big thing in the NBA.
He did become big, but only physically. North Carolina native constantly dealt with weight issues that led to injuries. All told, Williamson missed more than half of the regular-season games that he should have played in his first five years in the league.
Meanwhile, 2019 No.2 pick Ja Morant upstaged him and won the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year award. With his exciting style, the young guard was touted to be the next face of the league until his two infamous gun incidents, which led to suspensions and a hard fall from grace.
Morant also missed most of last season with a shoulder injury. However, Ja is having a strong bounce-back 2024-25 campaign. His Memphis Grizzlies are currently occupying a top-four seed in the Western Conference and look like a team that can make the noise in the playoffs.
