Zion Williamson gained weight, now 315 lbs, how long before he is out of the NBA.

He is recovering from surgery.

Hence the weight gain.

He has played 85 games in the NBA, shooting over 60% from the floor, averaging 7 rebounds and over 25 points (27 points last year).

A unique, great talent.

In his second year, he scored 27 ppg, with 7.2 boards on .611 fg shooting. His assists were up and they were talking about him running point forward with Lonzo Ball gone. His career averages in two short seasons are over 25 ppg, so he has been great. How many have gotten off to that start? He is no bust. But the weight gain is very worrying. He had an injury keeping him from activity but he started out too heavy to stay healthy, and now he's far beyond that. On the positive side, he cannot ignore that his entire career is in the balance over his ability to cut back to 285 lbs or preferably less, that's the difference between greatness and the Hall of Fame or out of the league early.

xczvzxcv wrote:

In his second year, he scored 27 ppg, with 7.2 boards on .611 fg shooting. His assists were up and they were talking about him running point forward with Lonzo Ball gone. His career averages in two short seasons are over 25 ppg, so he has been great. How many have gotten off to that start? He is no bust. But the weight gain is very worrying. He had an injury keeping him from activity but he started out too heavy to stay healthy, and now he's far beyond that. On the positive side, he cannot ignore that his entire career is in the balance over his ability to cut back to 285 lbs or preferably less, that's the difference between greatness and the Hall of Fame or out of the league early.

He obviously carries a lot of weight but this does not seem to hurt his game.

He apparently has put on a fair amount of weight due to injury; if he does not get rid of this, it's safe to assume his play will suffer.

If he returns to his playing weight, he should be okay -- but I would think carrying this much weight would make him more injury prone and also preclude his having lengthy career.

erewrqwr wrote:

Statistically, he's had one of the best starts in league history, especially for an efficiency standpoint. Calling him a bust shows you know nothing. He does need to figure the weight stuff out, but my guess is he will.

He will likely be a bust due to injuries related to fatness. It’s basic physics. Generating those forces. His knees and joints are made out of the same material as everyone else’s.

carmine9 wrote:

He is recovering from surgery.

Hence the weight gain.

He has played 85 games in the NBA, shooting over 60% from the floor, averaging 7 rebounds and over 25 points (27 points last year).

A unique, great talent.

You do realize you don’t have to eat like a slob. Right? Diet is 100x more impactful vs exercise.

How dare all of you!!! Talking about someone's weight!! You should all be ashamed. Body positivity!!!

"He obviously carries lot of weight but this does not seem to hurt his game."

How can you say his weight doesnt effect his game? He's always hurt. True he's unstoppable when healthy but he's had an injury every year since he was 17. He's carrying too much weight not just now but when he was only 280 pounds or 260 pounds.

He'll be back in January, score 25+ in 25 minutes and be hurt by April.

385 +/- 10 wrote:

Shaq got as heavy as 395 pounds. That was when he was much older than Zion W.

2001 Lakers: 365 pounds

2002 Lakers: 395 pounds

2005 Heat: 325 pounds

Current: 375 pounds

Bmi was 38.4 in 2002

6'6" 315 - 36.4 BMI he'll be fine

erewrqwr wrote:

Statistically, he's had one of the best starts in league history, especially for an efficiency standpoint. Calling him a bust shows you know nothing. He does need to figure the weight stuff out, but my guess is he will.

+1

Always hurt? Did not miss a game in 2018-19; missed 20 last year. He was killing it in 2019-2020 until the season was suspended. Injured? Yes. Always? Not even.

So a guy that average 27 points in 61% shooting and 7 plus boards is underperforming due to weight? Maybe. But I don't see how anyone could call that underperforming with a straight face.

carmine9 wrote:

coach wrote:

"He obviously carries lot of weight but this does not seem to hurt his game."

How can you say his weight doesnt effect his game? He's always hurt. True he's unstoppable when healthy but he's had an injury every year since he was 17. He's carrying too much weight not just now but when he was only 280 pounds or 260 pounds.

He'll be back in January, score 25+ in 25 minutes and be hurt by April.

Always hurt? Did not miss a game in 2018-19; missed 20 last year. He was killing it in 2019-2020 until the season was suspended. Injured? Yes. Always? Not even.

So a guy that average 27 points in 61% shooting and 7 plus boards is underperforming due to weight? Maybe. But I don't see how anyone could call that underperforming with a straight face.

Hurt in HS, hurt his line college season, 2 injuries his rookie year. An injury (but not a lower leg) last year and now this year. 85 games played in 3 years, about 40 fewer than Ja or RJ.

fire on the mountain wrote:

carmine9 wrote:

He is recovering from surgery.

Hence the weight gain.

He has played 85 games in the NBA, shooting over 60% from the floor, averaging 7 rebounds and over 25 points (27 points last year).

A unique, great talent.

You do realize you don’t have to eat like a slob. Right? Diet is 100x more impactful vs exercise.

This. He didn't put on weight because he was injured, he put on weight because he ate too much.

There are rumors of a conflict between the team and Zion's family. I'd guess that the team said we'll hire 10 guys to be with Zion 24/7 and allow him to eat only what they give him, but the family said "we got this". They didn't got this. The dude was filming Mountain Dew commercials for Pete's sake.

Look at what Giannis did in Milwaukee: got them a new Arena then got them a championship. The championship is more important than the money, but Giannis probably added a billion dollars to the team's value. That's what a superstar can do.

Zion is that good.

I don't understand how the team allowed this, but he does have authority over what goes in his mouth.

The guy gained like 100 lbs in a year in high school, he can't eat like that long term.

btw, I don't know the number, but he's well over 3 bills. Barkley was over 300 before he slimmed down and was probably over 300 at the very end when he made token appearances after injury in Houston.

Shaq was 300 as a skinny college kid, but he's a real giant, so you can't really compare.

Zion is still young. He can get through this. But he does need to lose weight and that's hard and takes time. I think this season is shot. He needs to work on losing a couple pounds per week while staying strong.

chumpchange wrote:

385 +/- 10 wrote:

Shaq got as heavy as 395 pounds. That was when he was much older than Zion W.

2001 Lakers: 365 pounds

2002 Lakers: 395 pounds

2005 Heat: 325 pounds

Current: 375 pounds

Bmi was 38.4 in 2002

6'6" 315 - 36.4 BMI he'll be fine

If you thought I was praising Shaq for weighing over 375, I did not communicate well. Kobe Bryant did not like playing with Shaq that fat. Kobe Bryant gave Lakers notice: Kobe or Shaq. L.A. was not big enough for both of them. Pat Riley told Shaq to get below 12% body fat. I doubt if Shaq at 325 was actually below 12% body fat but I am sure Shaq was under 25% body fat at 325. Medical doctors and actuaries for insurance companies may use B.M.I. for morbidity & mortality statistics for actuaries and for medical doctors assessing health of their patients. B.M.I. is not highly useful for athletes. B.M.I. formula allows for significant weight gain for taller athletes. Most or many sports do not have a need for taller, fat and less agile athletes.

Pics?

Barkley had Moses Malone who called him fat and lazy. Shaq had Kobe and Phil Jackson to get on his case. Zion has neither an older teammate or great player to get on his case.

The Pelicans gave him everything he wanted at a young age except for leadership which he needs.

Yes, he's unstoppable when healthy but....

You exaggerated a bit. Shaq was 270-something in college to 290-something in college. Under 310 during his Orlando Magic tenure.

jazzytherunner wrote:[quote]Why doesn't he do biking or swimming laps in the pool to help him lean out until he can return to the court? Plenty of runners foot stress fractures have successfully done these activities without pain to stay in shape.

Zion doesn't strike me as being that motivated to work that hard.

A couple of years ago, a doctor who does sports medicine videos detailed how his abnormal gait and his body composition make him a high likelihood for injury. So far in his career, that assessment appears to be right on the money.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGRnMIRCtDU

Shaq was actually at his best early before he gained too much weight. The defensive range, rebounding (13.9 as a rookie, the best of his career), and shotblocking (3.5 his rookie year, his best in his career) did not improve like you'd expect after his rookie year but worsened and then his career was shortened and harmed by the added weight. Now he was still great through age 30, but he could have been a lot closer to a modern day Wilt Chamberlain had he kept his weight down near or below 300 and then maybe would have scored over 30 a game (a little work on his free throws would have helped too) and blocked shots like Hakeem or better.