"He already has trouble keeping weight off" - Fans debate over Zion Williamson's offensive game amid latest report

Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans just cannot catch a break this offseason. After more than a month of off-court drama, the 23-year-old star is facing criticism for reportedly not wanting to develop his offensive game.

On the On The Ball podcast, Ric Bucher discussed rumors of Williamson's unwillingness to develop his offensive game. Bucher even cited Blake Griffin as an example of a player who added moves to his arsenal after his injuries began to mount.

"Where are the floaters, up and under layups, his pull-up jumpers at the elbow?" Bucher said. "Now from what I've been told, he's shown no interest in developing any of those tricks.

"Tricks that Blake Griffin learned along with a decent three-point shot when the injuries started to pile up for him, and allowed him to single-handedly drag the Detroit Pistons to a playoff berth."

He continued:

"It may not seem as impressive as what he did with the Clippers in his heyday, but to me, what he did with Detroit was a true reflection of how he learned to play the game when he no longer had that freakish athleticism." (h/t HoopsHype)

Fans on social media began to debate Ric Bucher's report about Zion Williamson. Some defended Williamson, who has been one of the most efficient scorers the game has ever seen. Others, though, pointed out Williamson's problem with his weight and conditioning, which resonates with rumors about his work ethic.

One fan agrees with Bucher that Williamson might want to adjust his game to prolong his career:

"If he wants to have a long career he might. He already has a hard time keeping weight off, so anything that would help him reduce the stress on his joints would help him."

The fan pointed out Williamson being an efficient offensive player:

"Criticizing Zions scoring ability is crazy, given he's one of the most efficient high volume scorers ever."

Another fan was on Team Williamson, noting that the Pelicans star was doing it already last season:

"Zion was literally doing this before he got injured last season. Y'all just tweet anything for clicks now."

Here are other reactions to rumors of Zion Williamson not wanting to develop his game:

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Pelicans teammate defends Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Larry Nance Jr. has refuted Ric Bucher's report and defended Zion Williamson. Nance, who also plays for the New Orleans Pelicans, took to Twitter to call the rumor "pathetic", saying that Williamson works on his game in the gym.

There's no question that Williamson can score the basketball. His problem at the moment, apart from Moriah Mills, is that he cannot stay healthy.

He has only played 29 games in the last two seasons. He always looked great when healthy, but he hasn't been healthy enough in his young career.

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