Stephen A. Smith drops Pelicans' Zion Williamson 'bust' take with a twist
04/01/2025 12:21 PM
In sports, the best ability is availability, and Stephen A Smith feels that sentiment with New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson.
After Williamson was involved in Pelicans trade rumors, a majority of it had to do with his health. When he is on the court, he is a star. However, that is a major “if.”
On First Take, Smith detailed more on his point of the Pelicans star being a bust.
"Zion Williamson is a star-caliber talent… the problem is he's rarely available. And as great as he is, the word bust comes to mind, not because of his talent, I'm only talking his availability… he's almost never available."
—Stephen A. Smithpic.twitter.com/fankpaUkVV
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 1, 2025
“Zion Williamson is a star-caliber talent… the problem is he’s rarely available,” Smith said. “And as great as he is, the word bust comes to mind, not because of his talent, I’m only talking his availability. He’s almost never available.”
In the last three seasons, he has played 129 of a possible 246 games. That’s a little under half of the amount of games. That metric alone is concerning, considering he was a No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
However, the talent is certainly there. For instance, he was an All-Star in his second and third seasons. Coincidentally, those were the seasons that he played the most amount of games.
Williamson played 61 games in his sophomore season, but only 29 in his third season. Still, he made the All-Star game and proved why.
Stephen A Smith calls Pelicans’ Zion Williamson a bust
Usually, calling someone a bust refers to them not using or maximizing their full talent or potential. Regardless of that, the same cannot be said for Williamson. Everyone knows what he is capable of doing.
At the same time, health has played the main factor. The Pelicans star simply isn’t available enough to be deemed as a superstar. For instance, in the 2024-25 season, the Pelicans played a game with eight players ruled out.
One of those players was Williamson himself. Every season, he has averaged more than 22 points per game. After emerging onto the scene as a rookie, health played a major question.
Even at Duke, it was a question then. Fast forward six years, and the question remains the same.
For Smith, his point isn’t judging Williamson’s talent or work ethic. It’s all about being available. The top players in the league are consistently available.
If the Pelicans star is able to make some changes, that can happen sooner rather than later. At the end of the day, Williamson’s career could end up as a major “what if” if things don’t change.
Then, Smith’s point will be as valid as it has ever been regarding the former first overall pick.
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