Former NBA champion gives Zion Williamson the ultimate praise, admits Pelicans crash the top 3 party

After entering the league with large amounts of hype, Zion Williamson has left many fans and analysts wanting more. In the midst of a strong bounce-back year, one Hall of Famer had no choice but to give the All-Star forward his flowers.

During a recent episode of "Ticket & The Truth," Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett discussed the New Orleans Pelicans. Both admitted that Zion looks like a different player this year, with Pierce bringing up a key factor. That being the former No. 1 pick has been available all season.

"I'm seeing Zion, he look different," Pierce said. "I've been watching him the last three weeks. He look like he in shape, and the best thing about him this year, he available. He heard all the whispers."

With a few weeks to go, Zion Williamson is on track to have his highest games played in a season. He continues to put up All-Star-level production, averaging 22.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

After praising Zion for his availability this season, Pierce also had high praise for the New Orleans Pelicans. Seeing how they've performed as of late, he feels they're ahead of the LA Clippers in terms of Western Conference contenders.

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JJ Redick praises Zion Williamson's turnaround this season

Paul Pierce is not the only one that has spoken out about Zion Williamson's improvement this season. JJ Redick recently went on "First Take" to talk about how the two-time All-Star has turned things around in a big way.

When breaking down why he feels the Pelicans can make a deep playoff run, Redick cited Zion is playing some of the best basketball of his career.

"Zion Williamson for the last two months is playing the best basketball of the season," Redick said.

The in-season tournament loss against the LA Lakers was a major turning point for Zion. He caught a lot of heat for his performance in the 44-point defeat, scoring 13 points on just eight shot attempts.

After this game, Zion got dedicated to getting himself right from a physical standpoint. His weight has always been a major talking point, but the Pelicans star has addressed that. Earlier this week, it came out that Zion has lost 25 pounds since that blowout loss to the Lakers.

With Williamson playing at a high level, the Pelicans now look like a major threat in the Western Conference. They've worked their way up the standings, knocking on the door of a top-four seed. New Orleans is one-and-a-half games behind the Clippers, who sit in fourth place.

Between losing weight and being in the lineup almost every night, Zion is slowly starting to silence his doubters.