"I’m gonna show the world things that I’ve had in my arsenal that I didn’t show before" - Former no. 1 overall pick confident of making a stellar return to NBA

Zion Williamson is back and determined to silence the critics. Selected at the top of the 2019 NBA draft, injuries sidelined the New Orleans Pelicans star. Williamson is now reportedly in great shape, close to what he was in college, and as confident as ever.

Williamson’s last active season was a 61-game season. He averaged 27 points while shooting 61.1 % from the field. Now, after his bouts with himself, both physically and mentally, Williamson is poised to have a breakout season.

“They’re going to see that I’ve matured off the court and, on the court,” Williamson told Sports Illustrated’s Howard Beck. “And they’re also gonna see that my game has evolved. I’m gonna show the world things that I’ve had in my arsenal that I didn’t show before.”

“I’ve grown,” Williamson said. “I learned a lot about myself, learned more about the game.”

Williamson is returning to the Pelicans roster that made it to the playoffs without him. CJ McCollum’s arrival and Brandon Ingram’s outburst last season helped them make the playoffs via the Play-In tournament. Their hard-fought series against the Phoenix Suns proves they did not make it there only by luck.

Williamson seems to have worked over the summer with his exercise and diet. Howard Beck also reported on Zion Williamson’s training routine, which involves speed training with his trainer Jasper Bibbs and stepfather/coach Lee Anderson.

“I personally haven’t seen a guy with his size at the NBA level with that type of speed. There’s some guards that don’t hit those times,” Bibbs said.

Zion Williamson opens up about tough times during his absence from the NBA

Since entering the NBA, Williamson has received significant criticism about his injury-prone frame and eating habits. He gained some weight, leading to speculation about a weight clause in his contract.

“I was in dark places at times, because I couldn’t play basketball.” Williamson said. “I could only do limited rehab things. And then just seeing how the world reacted? It took a lot. It did a lot on my spirit.”

Not only did it affect him personally in terms of missing valuable time, but it also affected his family. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Williamson recollected how his family had to deal with questions regarding his absence.

“To see it affecting my family, it weighed on me,” Williamson said. “An 8-year-old [brother] having to deal with stuff like that, being asked questions that he don’t fully understand yet, that’s a lot. It bothers me that people would even do that to him.”

Having gone through all that, Williamson will play the 2022-23 season with a chip on his shoulder. It is too early to make predictions about his output. However, if he stays healthy, the Pelicans could be a serious threat in the Western Conference.