Zion is down to 264...

[Phoenix]

https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/09/zion-williamson-weight-loss.jpg

We've pretty much seen 'Zion's in shape' the last three summers by my count, but this looks like a complete body transformation. Outside of health concerns( which should hopefully be improved by not stressing his joints with the excess lbs), I'd be interested to see how his game adapts. The catch 22 is that so much of his domination is based on guys practically bouncing off him in the paint combined with a deft touch around the rim. At 6'6 he's pretty much SG-sized but without the shooting so he's obviously going to need to majorly expand that part of his game if this is his status quo going forward.

[Real Men Wear Green]

264 is still a huge player for 6'6, just not unheard of. Wondering if he'll now be more explosive. Every player can be helped by shooting better but you still have to base your game on what makes you special and for him it's dominant scoring in the paint. He could also have the physical tools now to be a nightmare defender for wings.

[beasted]

:kobe:

There's no SG in the NBA at 264 let alone 244. People just log on to the internet and just speak nonsense sometimes. Paul George is probably the biggest you can maybe pretend plays SG and he's clearly not 244.

[beasted]

Zion should have the strength and burst to dominate most of the small ball PFs which is the trend nowadays. He will struggle against the Davis types.

[SouBeachTalents]

Zion's reached Kawhi status where yes, he possesses a lot of talent and can look great when he plays, but until he puts together even one fully healthy season, it's just hard for me to take him seriously.

[John8204]

Dudes going to win a title and MVP when he gets out of the west

[Im Still Ballin]

Heaviest SFs include Artest (upwards of 275-280 in HOU), LeBron, Ryan Gomes, Larry Johnson, Anthony Mason, etc.

[Phoenix]

:kobe:

There's no SG in the NBA at 264 let alone 244. People just log on to the internet and just speak nonsense sometimes. Paul George is probably the biggest you can maybe pretend plays SG and he's clearly not 244.

People also log onto the internet and immediately showcase a lack of comprehension. Nowhere was it stated he's now or will be playing SG. I said at 6'6 he's pretty much SG sized, that's merely referring to his height not his weight, nor was it intended to mean he's going to be listed at SG this coming year. His heavier frame and explosiveness is what makes up for him being a shorter than average PF.

[Phoenix]

264 is still a huge player for 6'6, just not unheard of. Wondering if he'll now be more explosive. Every player can be helped by shooting better but you still have to base your game on what makes you special and for him it's dominant scoring in the paint. He could also have the physical tools now to be a nightmare defender for wings.

Agreed but it certainly wouldn't hurt to expand that part of his game regardless of the size he's at. He's still young and has time on his side but that explosiveness will drop off in his 30's.

[Kblaze8855]

:kobe:

There's no SG in the NBA at 264 let alone 244. People just log on to the internet and just speak nonsense sometimes. Paul George is probably the biggest you can maybe pretend plays SG and he's clearly not 244.

LeBron’s legitimate Olympic tested weight was 254 pounds in 2004. So it happens.

[beasted]

People also log onto the internet and immediately showcase a lack of comprehension. Nowhere was it stated he's now or will be playing SG. I said at 6'6 he's pretty much SG sized, that's merely referring to his height not his weight, nor was it intended to mean he's going to be listed at SG this coming year. His heavier frame and explosiveness is what makes up for him being a shorter than average PF.

No, don't try and backtrack on your sleepy-eyed morning statement.


At 6'6 he's pretty much SG-sized but without the shooting so he's obviously going to need to majorly expand that part of his game if this is his status quo going forward.

Zion has always been 6'6". What's new is this weight class. See your bolded phrase. This clearly implies that his reduced weight is the subject of problematic focus. You are implying that his NEW combination of height and weight limits his ability to match up and basically that multiple positions will be able to defend him easier, and the only way to compensate and maintain his advantage is by significantly improving his shooting.

I totally disagree. At minumum 2/3rds of the PFs in the NBA (probbaly closer to 80%) arent even 264. So that means that every guard, wing, and most PFs are barbecue chicken trying to front or box out a player of that mass. Aside from that his already incredible athleticism will hit a new height if he actually maintains it and stays healthy.

[Phoenix]

No, don't try and backtrack on your sleepy-eyed morning statement.



Zion has always been 6'6". What's new is this weight class. See your bolded phrase. This clearly implies that his reduced weight is the subject of problematic focus. You are implying that his NEW combination of height and weight limits his ability to match up and basically that multiple positions will be able to defend him easier, and the only way to compensate and maintain his advantage is by significantly improving his shooting.



The only thing 'if this is his status quo going forward' means is if this is the weight he'll be playing at going forward, there is gonna come a point when he doesn't have the same level of explosiveness and won't be able to rely as much on his physical gifts, so it wouldn't a bad idea to start expanding his game now. Doesn't matter what he can physically do to his defenders now at 25 with his new weight and body, it's about what he'll be doing once he crosses 30. And even with his weight loss, that's still a fair amount of pounds coming down on his joints. For a few reasons, he should work on being a better shooter....at 250....at 275....at 300. Whatever his fukking weight was or is and what it means in thee immediate, the sentiment doesn't change. I mean I literally stated that before the part of the sentence you choose to hone in on:


At 6'6 he's pretty much SG-sized but without the shooting so he's obviously going to need to majorly expand that part of his game if this is his status quo going forward.

I mean there are easier things to infer from what I said if you're that dedicated to heavily editing my message. beyond whatever you typed out here. Like, interpret my comments in whatever way helps you sleep at night, but what about the concept of 'expanding his game' from a shooting POV in and of itself is something he shouldn't do? What is there to imply from that? Zion losing tons of weight is its own special case as to what changes he makes over time, but that doesn't change the inevitability of what history has taught us time and time again.

So no, it doesn't fukking 'clearly' imply anything of the sort along the lines of what you're saying. First you interpreted me saying he's 'SG sized' as me saying he's going to play the SG spot. I SPECIFICALLY and only referenced his height( which obviously since he's been in the NBA has been a constant. No shit). You then acknowledge that sentiment by saying no SG has ever played at 264. Ok.... but nobody here said he was playing the SG spot next year, so again you misrepresented that initial 'SG sized' talking point entirely. I do think going from 290 to 260 will cause SOME level of adjustment, that's simply too much weight difference to dismiss, but I DID NOT say it puts limits on his ability to match up or that multiple defenders will be able to defend him easier. That has sweet fukk all to do with what I said and no it's not 'clearly' implied. I'm more than capable of saying what you 'think' I said if that was what I intended, no implications or reading between the lines required. There are reports that he actually is working on his jumpshot alongside his weight loss, which aligns with my initial comments that he may be seeking to make some adjustments in how it plays. Which is why I also said 'I'll be interested to see how his game adapts'. No need to complicate things and assign your alternate version of what you think I meant.

He's 6'6, a typical HEIGHT for a SG. He made up for that relative lack of height, as an interior player, with explosive jumping, bullk/girth and strength. He's working on his shooting because I imagine he wants to diversity his game and rely less on physical domination and maybe even help avoid injury. It's not even about his continuing ability to make 'BBQ chicken' out of his defenders; the fact that the weight loss will most definitely improve his speed and jumping/athleticism to what we haven't seen since his days at Duke, it actually benefits him even more to work on his shooting to open up his drives even more. This is something that even someone like Giannis, not that he's a knock down shooter, realized with experience. These are basic concepts and it's either I now take the position of filling in the blanks of my original messaging, or my comments get manipulated into whatever bullshit you think I 'inferred'. To what degree you subsequently disagree is whatever, because your last paragraph weren't things I was arguing about in the first place. Of course you'll say I was, because at this point you have to.

[beasted]

Unless you are Steph Curry, it's basically implied that every player in the NBA would benefit from enhancing their shooting ability. That's not a novel idea.

I think what would make sense is discussing how this weight change affects him immediately. Implying (however loosely) that this weight loss is something of concern just didn't make sense to me, since as I said, he will still be able to physically dominate most players who are much weaker, less athletic, and lighter weight.

But it's all good. I think way too many words were typed to bridge a misunderstanding.

[Phoenix]

Unless you are Steph Curry, it's basically implied that every player in the NBA would benefit from enhancing their shooting ability. That's not a novel idea.

I think what would make sense is discussing how this weight change affects him immediately. Implying (however loosely) that this weight loss is something of concern just didn't make sense to me, since as I said, he will still be able to physically dominate most players who are much weaker, less athletic, and lighter weight.

But it's all good. I think way too many words were typed to bridge a misunderstanding.

No, it's not a novel idea and while it may be somewhat of a 'captain obvious' sentiment, the reality is Zion has a very unique body type, height, and skillset. Barkley was the same way though Zion is even more explosive a leaper( and Barkley also expanded his shooting as time passed). It would benefit him for health reasons and in terms of his game aging well, beyond the immediate impact of the weight loss in terms of how he plays now.

[Nowoco]

Zion's reached Kawhi status where yes, he possesses a lot of talent and can look great when he plays, but until he puts together even one fully healthy season, it's just hard for me to take him seriously.

This. Play 70+ games and not get injured/fat, have some team success and then we'll talk. Until then, who gives a shit?

[Real Men Wear Green]

There's no arguing that his career to date has lived up to the hype but as a fan of the game the Williamson we saw for 3 games at Duke was as entertainment. If it's not Celtics I like watching a vicious dunker and that's what I'm hoping we finally see.

[beasted]

No, it's not a novel idea and while it may be somewhat of a 'captain obvious' sentiment, the reality is Zion has a very unique body type, height, and skillset. Barkley was the same way though Zion is even more explosive a leaper( and Barkley also expanded his shooting as time passed). It would benefit him for health reasons and in terms of his game aging well, beyond the immediate impact of the weight loss in terms of how he plays now.

I agree. Guys who rely so heavily on athletic ability age like milk.

But, in all honesty, I think all of this conversation is for nothing. Zion is probably doing just enough to buy himself a new extension. If he plays relatively healthy (+65 games), gets his team to another play in, and makes an all- star, I think that is unfortunately going to buy him enough good will that those fools in the front office will think about "extending him for cheap" (I.E. less than the max), rather than selling high and immediately dumping him at the deadline.

[Real Men Wear Green]

The Pelicans aren't a franchise that gets to keep true elite players. If Williamson gives them a reasonably healthy season and makes the All-Star game he will help sell tickets and for the Pelicans that's as good as it's going to get. If he's willing to spend his prime there and he's really in shape sign him. If he comes back fat next year they should still be able to trade him for picks and space, they can always trade him for picks and space.

[Full Court]

Down to 264 days until he plays?

[beasted]

The Pelicans aren't a franchise that gets to keep true elite players. If Williamson gives them a reasonably healthy season and makes the All-Star game he will help sell tickets and for the Pelicans that's as good as it's going to get. If he's willing to spend his prime there and he's really in shape sign him. If he comes back fat next year they should still be able to trade him for picks and space, they can always trade him for picks and space.

It takes longer than 1 season to determine if a player has turned the corner. He's not going to sign another contract like the last that has a bunch of guarantee-exits due to injury and weight clauses.

IF they are set on going the route you describe, they have a whole extra season to evaluate his ability to lead a team before committing 100s of millions to a player. There's no need to run out and sign him next summer looking to save $5 million a season.

[Real Men Wear Green]

He signed the first contract with all of those clauses so unless he clearly states he won't again why not include them? If he's truly turned the corner promising to stay under 280 shouldn't be an issue.

[beasted]

He signed the first contract with all of those clauses so unless he clearly states he won't again why not include them? If he's truly turned the corner promising to stay under 280 shouldn't be an issue.

He was at the mercy of restricted free agency. This time around it would be incomprehensible for his agent to allow any of that, especially if it's not a FULL max.

[Real Men Wear Green]

He was at the mercy of restricted free agency. This time around it would be incomprehensible for his agent to allow any of that, especially if it's not a FULL max. Every first round player deals with restricted free agency and yet only he had that kind of max. I would absolutely see if he rejects clauses before I kept them out. He accepted them before. What's changed?

[Street Hunger]

I feel like the lack of talent on the pelicans is going to result in Zion not trying that much and maybe staying healthy but not being that much better despite being in really good shape now