The conditioning of Zion Williamson came under scrutiny on Thursday as the New Orleans Pelicans were blown out in the In-Season Tournament semifinals by the Los Angeles Lakers. The speed and energy of LeBron James at the age of 38 contrasted with Williamson in a dramatic way.

The Pelicans have repeated stressed to Williamson that his diet and conditioning needs to improve. Multiple sources from the Pelicans told Christian Clark of The Times-Picayune that Williamson "doesn't listen."

Williamson has a career low PER of 21.8 this season though he has so far remained healthy and available to play. Williamson has been an All-Star in 2021 and 2023.