Report: Zion Williamson "A Better Athlete Now Than He Was Before"

Zion Williamson infamously missed the entire season last year after suffering a fractured foot in the summer of 2021. His conditioning and weight were brought into question all season long as to why he couldn't recover and return to play.

Now, after another summer of working out, his strength and conditioning coach says Zion is "a better athlete now than he was before." That would be plenty scary for the rest of the league, if true.

Williamson spent the summer in Florida "executing a meticulous plan crafted with strength and conditioning coach Jasper Bibbs," according to The Athletic's William Guillory. Bibbs says the results have been "phenomenal."

Watch out for Zion Williamson this season 😤 pic.twitter.com/WA8Nsw76QJ
— Pelicans Nation (@PelsNationCP) September 20, 2022

“He’s in fantastic shape,” Bibbs told The Athletic. “He’s been committed to putting in the work day in and day out. I’m really proud of what he’s been able to accomplish. He’s a better athlete now than he’s ever been.”

As for his conditioning, “(his body composition) has improved at an extremely high level,” added Bibbs. "I think people are going to be very excited. You can just see how happy he is when he gets to step on the court and show people what he can do."

Zion has only played in 85 of a possible 226 games for the Pelicans in his three seasons since coming into the NBA. Here's hoping that if he maintains conditioning like this, he could finally be that unstoppable force to be reckoned with on a nightly basis.

And that could make the Pelicans an unstoppable force as well.

Throwback to when Zion Williamson scored 17 Consecutive Points in the 4th Quarter of his NBA Debutpic.twitter.com/ddGdvxghp0
— NBA Muse (@NBAMuse24) September 19, 2022