Zion Out of Shape?

[Hoochican]

“I thought really he never should've played just because he's been on this circuit of awards, the ESPYs, everything,” Krzyzewski said, via Forbes’ Adam Zagoria. “I don't think he's in the playing shape or the mental shape to play.”

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/zion-wi...030121703.html


Not sure if I agree 100%.

[Pelicanidae]

Is Zion in his best shape physically? No. Coach K is right that, because of the circuit of awards + not doing the combine + not doing team workouts because he knew he was going #1, he's not in absolute prime shape.

Is he in bad shape? Nah. The fact is he's getting criticised a lot because he looked gassed in the SL game. But he's still in better physical shape than 90% of the planet, and if the team had decided to keep playing him, he'd have been capable of doing it without too much issue. Just not worth the injury risk.

The mental shape though? Completely disagree there. Zion seems to be the kind of guy who is always ready to go, and he certainly looked it in Summer League. One doesn't rip the ball out of someone's hands like that unless they're going for it.

[Eman5805]

This is going to get worse before it gets better. The media has it's running storyline. It's going to come up at every opportunity.

(player is at a normal level of exhaustion in the 3rd and 4th quarter)

ESPN announcers: Oh he looks out of shape.

[Pelicanidae]

This is going to get worse before it gets better. The media has it's running storyline. It's going to come up at every opportunity.

(player is at a normal level of exhaustion in the 3rd and 4th quarter)

ESPN announcers: Oh he looks out of shape.

Haven't you heard?

Zion is 6'1, 480lbs. His ankles click with every step. He has a 2 inch vertical.

[ColoradoCajun]

Mentally he is a kid ready to play ball, like all kids. Physically, no ********. Award show dinners don't play.

[JJackisangry]

It’s pathetic how badly they want to push this narrative. Let the guy play an NBA game. Everyone is butthurt that he didn’t end up in a big market.

[SunshinePumper]

It’s pathetic how badly they want to push this narrative. Let the guy play an NBA game. Everyone is butthurt that he didn’t end up in a big market.

They're gonna be really salty when this small market team finishes building a fully operational title machine...

[13 - 3]

I’m going to say he is throwing a smokescreen here. Nothing to get worry about. Yahoo was stupid enough to take bait.

[13 - 3]

Come to think of it this is a great tool Coach K uses a lot to motivate. I completely get what he did!

[msusousaphone]

Lol. I don't know why everyone has to get so defensive about it.

Yes.

Zion is out of shape.

To normal people who would be completely fit and good to go but he is no where near NBA ready and is far from college shape. We knew it the second he stepped on the court and was huffing and puffing the whole game. We knew it when they came out with that bogus "hitting knee to knee" injury that doesn't last more than a day or two. Griffin has even come out and admitted to it.

Now, he deserves to be out of shape. As Coach K said, the circuit this guy has been on gets him out of his routine and he's being whined and dine at all times. He has earned it.

He WILL be in shape at the start of TC. Zion is an insane competitor so I have no worries about him continuing to be out of shape. This is a one time thing. It's a non issue. But it's ridiculous to deny it.

[HornetGuru]

Did y’all not see the picture of him next to frank Jackson laughing? He looks skinny

[Pelicanidae]

Lol. I don't know why everyone has to get so defensive about it.

Yes.

Zion is out of shape.

To normal people who would be completely fit and good to go but he is no where near NBA ready and is far from college shape. We knew it the second he stepped on the court and was huffing and puffing the whole game. We knew it when they came out with that bogus "hitting knee kn knee" injury that doesn't last more than a day or two. Griffin has even come out and admitted to it.

Now, he deserves to be out of shape. As Coach K said, the circuit this guy has been on gets him out of his routine and he's being whined and dine at all times.

He WILL be in shape at the start of TC. Zion is an insane competitor so I have no worries about him continuing to be out of shape. This is a one time thing. It's a non issue. But it's ridiculous to deny it.

I think it depends on how you're viewing it. If you're viewing it the way you've said it, then it's fair. Sure, he's out of shape. Like I said earlier, award shows, no combine, no team workouts, no organised ball in almost 3 months: he's gonna be a little out of shape. In reality though, it's such a minor thing that, like you said, it's a non issue. Hell, he looked in better shape already just sat watching last game. Give him a month with training staff and it'll be fine.

That's not the way the media is handling this though, and that's what people are annoyed at. The media is pushing it as if it's a work ethic thing, as if it's some issue native to Zion's body: ''oh, look how out of shape he is! He's 300lbs! Or More! He needs to drop 30+lbs before he can even step foot on a court! His ankles are 2 minutes away from explosion!''. When you have self-proclaimed basketball experts inviting Gilbert Arenas onto their podcast to tell us about how Zion needs to drop 50lbs and play shooting guard, and you have photoshopped pictures of Zion circulating claiming he's 300+lbs, it's annoying. Because it's straight up wrong, and we all know how the media picks up narratives and spins them, especially against smaller teams like New Orleans who are the designated media punching bag.

[JJackisangry]

Lol. I don't know why everyone has to get so defensive about it.

Yes.

Zion is out of shape.

To normal people who would be completely fit and good to go but he is no where near NBA ready and is far from college shape. We knew it the second he stepped on the court and was huffing and puffing the whole game. We knew it when they came out with that bogus "hitting knee to knee" injury that doesn't last more than a day or two. Griffin has even come out and admitted to it.

Now, he deserves to be out of shape. As Coach K said, the circuit this guy has been on gets him out of his routine and he's being whined and dine at all times. He has earned it.

He WILL be in shape at the start of TC. Zion is an insane competitor so I have no worries about him continuing to be out of shape. This is a one time thing. It's a non issue. But it's ridiculous to deny it.

It’s one thing to criticize him during the regular season. We are 3 months removed from the regular season, so him being out of shape at this time is a nonfactor.

Now tell me- how is gathering every voice they can and pushing a negative image on someone not pushing a narrative? It’s not constructive in the least. It’s desperation at it’s finest.

[NMThreeMVP]

Dude looked out of shape and overweight. I've watched every summer league game and listen to a ton of podcast. I don't think anyone has been hyperbolic about it, they've just been stating the facts. Zion walks like a fat dude. There's a history of dudes at his size battling weight issues. Most observers seem to think he'll knock off some of the weight and because of the Pelicans training staff and his worth ethic, he'll be fine.

We gotta be less sensitive fans.

[Pelicanidae]

Dude looked out of shape and overweight. I've watched every summer league game and listen to a ton of podcast. I don't think anyone has been hyperbolic about it, they've just been stating the facts. Zion walks like a fat dude. There's a history of dudes at his size battling weight issues. Most observers seem to think he'll knock off some of the weight and because of the Pelicans training staff and his worth ethic, he'll be fine. D

We gotta be less sensitive fans.

Gilbert Arenas saying he needs to lose 50lbs and play shooting guard isn't hyperbolic? Like, at all?

Come on.

Like I said, the issue isn't just briefly commenting. If all anyone was saying was that he hasn't played in a few months and needs to get back into regular workouts, nobody would care. Because that's true: he hasn't been in serious training mode for 3 months, he's been at a lot of lavish events, and he's put on probably 15lbs of excess weight, plus water.

But that's not what's happening. The media, podcasters, sports personality figures, etc, are moving beyond just noticing that he's a little out of shape, and moved into constructing a narrative that says he's terminally out of shape. I've seen people saying that this is a sign of poor work ethic, that he's an injury waiting to happen, that he's going to be fat his entire career because he's in New Orleans where the food is good, etc etc etc. The fact is that Zion's the kind of guy, with the kind of body shape, that needs to be working out to stay in shape. He walked into Duke in worse shape than he's in now, and by January he looked like he could rip a tree out of the ground barehanded. By October, he'll be in better shape than 90% of the NBA, but if the narrative isn't rejected early it will stick.

[13 - 3]

Dude looked out of shape and overweight. I've watched every summer league game and listen to a ton of podcast. I don't think anyone has been hyperbolic about it, they've just been stating the facts. Zion walks like a fat dude. There's a history of dudes at his size battling weight issues. Most observers seem to think he'll knock off some of the weight and because of the Pelicans training staff and his worth ethic, he'll be fine.

We gotta be less sensitive fans.

Agree. See Charles Barkley

[13 - 3]

Fat Guy > Anthony Davis . Book it!

[Pelicanidae]

Fat Guy > Anthony Davis . Book it!

Yes, yes, we all know Charles Barkley was better than AD

[JJackisangry]

Dude looked out of shape and overweight. I've watched every summer league game and listen to a ton of podcast. I don't think anyone has been hyperbolic about it, they've just been stating the facts. Zion walks like a fat dude. There's a history of dudes at his size battling weight issues. Most observers seem to think he'll knock off some of the weight and because of the Pelicans training staff and his worth ethic, he'll be fine.

We gotta be less sensitive fans.

You are just being willingly ignorant here if you don’t think the media is running with a narrative. You scream something into existence enough, and eventually it will become true to those who listen. If Zion doesn’t hit the ground running when the season starts, guess what narrative will rear it’s ugly head?

[Wowowowow]

I think there is a secret Cold War to kind of tarnish him under the table, but they can’t quite understand how he was able to lift and jump out the gym still so in a “Were you right or wrong” culture, these same people making these news circuit comments do not want to full out bash him because I think they see the inevitable that he’s a monster.

Guys have to understand that these Gilbert Arenas and Dan Dakich do this because they are outside looking in and want to move up or in Arenas case - want to get a professional sports talk job - and this is their way.

There’s a legitimate career in being Skip Bayless’. Zion just has to make them look dumb.

[JJackisangry]

I think there is a secret Cold War to kind of tarnish him under the table, but they can’t quite understand how he was able to lift and jump out the gym still so in a “Were you right or wrong” culture, these same people making these news circuit comments do not want to full out bash him because I think they see the inevitable that he’s a monster.

Guys have to understand that these Gilbert Arenas and Dan Dakich do this because they are outside looking in and want to move up or in Arenas case - want to get a professional sports talk job - and this is their way.

There’s a legitimate career in being Skip Bayless’. Zion just has to make them look dumb.

Good answer

[Pelicanidae]

I think there is a secret Cold War to kind of tarnish him under the table, but they can’t quite understand how he was able to lift and jump out the gym still so in a “Were you right or wrong” culture, these same people making these news circuit comments do not want to full out bash him because I think they see the inevitable that he’s a monster.

Guys have to understand that these Gilbert Arenas and Dan Dakich do this because they are outside looking in and want to move up or in Arenas case - want to get a professional sports talk job - and this is their way.

There’s a legitimate career in being Skip Bayless’. Zion just has to make them look dumb.

That's basically it. They're basically setting up their line of attack. Like if JJack said, if Zion comes out slow in his rookie season and doesn't start really lighting it up until December or so (which is entirely possible, and not even a big deal), then they've already set up their targets: it'll be weight, work ethic, discipline, that will be what gets questioned. Then, if he fixes it, they can pretend that all they ever were concerned about is weight and that he fixed it! So there's no backlash if their terrible takes become irrelevant.

[JJackisangry]

That's basically it. They're basically setting up their line of attack. Like if JJack said, if Zion comes out slow in his rookie season and doesn't start really lighting it up until December or so (which is entirely possible, and not even a big deal), then they've already set up their targets: it'll be weight, work ethic, discipline, that will be what gets questioned. Then, if he fixes it, they can pretend that all they ever were concerned about is weight and that he fixed it! So there's no backlash if their terrible takes become irrelevant.

Have to have some contrarians amirite

[6warddude]

look at it like this...all weight talk is motivation for the youngun to take his career serious and prove why he was the number 1 pick......

we been through this with the media trying to tear us down....i just laugh the weight talk off because i believe zion has the support around him to help him deal with this mentally....

[13 - 3]

I think there is a secret Cold War to kind of tarnish him under the table, but they can’t quite understand how he was able to lift and jump out the gym still so in a “Were you right or wrong” culture, these same people making these news circuit comments do not want to full out bash him because I think they see the inevitable that he’s a monster.

Guys have to understand that these Gilbert Arenas and Dan Dakich do this because they are outside looking in and want to move up or in Arenas case - want to get a professional sports talk job - and this is their way.

There’s a legitimate career in being Skip Bayless’. Zion just has to make them look dumb.

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"This team (the Pelicans) next year will be better than any of AD's teams. Trust me. It will be. It's just deeper and better. ... The New Orleans Pelicans will make the playoffs next year, and they will be the most fun team to watch in the NBA." — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/kXAoKxG4n9

— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) July 2, 2019