Stephen A. Smith calls Zion Williamson 'man child' while picking Pelicans as NBA Finals contender

Zion Williamson has been on the receiving end of quite a bit of criticism in recent years, with many critics taking aim at his weight. The situation has been highlighted by Williamson struggling to stay healthy over the past few seasons, however, as of late, something has changed. Recent reports have indicated that Zion Williamson has lost 25 pounds since the In-Season Tournament.

After coming up short against the LA Lakers, Williamson reportedly went to work, losing quite a bit of weight amid criticism for his play. At the same time, he has also managed to remain healthy, playing in 56 games so far this season, the most since the 2020-21 season where he earned an All-Star selection.

As they look ahead at the remainder of the season, and the playoffs ahead, Stephen A. Smith believes the Pelicans are true contenders in the West. During a recent episode of his podcast, Smith opened up on the situation:

"They got a man child in Zion Williamson who looks healthy, like he lost weight. He stayed off the burgers and the steaks. He ain't hiding food under his bed or anything like that from the team. ... The New Orleans Pelicans could go to the finals. ...

"I'm saying they've been playing exceptionally well, and they have all the pieces in place to make a run. We cannot ignore that. We got to give props where it's due"

Looking at Zion Williamson's play amid rare praise from Stephen A. Smith

As Stephen A. Smith idicated, Zion Williamson's play has been nothing short of impressive. In the month of January, for example, Zion Williamson was averaging 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, .4 blocks, and .8 steals per game.

After then losing weight in the weeks and months following he and the Pelicans' loss to the Lakers in the in-season tournament, his stats improved. Currently, over the month of March, Williamson is averaging 23.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game.

The turnaround has not only silenced Williamsons' critics, but has also put the Pelicans in a strong spot heading into the postseason. With the end of the season in sight The Pelicans are currently sitting in fifth-place in the West, two whole games ahead of the sixth-place Kings.

As the postseason approaches, they have the security of knowing that they'll likely avoid the play-in tournament. At the same time, Herb Jones is expected to return to action in the coming days, with Dyson Daniels targeting a return before the end of the season.

Despite that, the Pelicans don't currently sit among the top five teams on FanDuel with the best odds of winning the Western Conference. With the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, currently in first, the LA Clippers, OKC Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Phoenix Suns fill out the remaining top five.

Whether the Pelicans can put together a strong postseason, only time will tell.