Charles Barkley On Zion Williamson: "He's Not In Shape. He Doesn't Run, He Plays The Game Strictly On Talent"

During halftime of the In-Season Tournament game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, Charles Barkley ripped into Zion Williamson. Zion had just two points after the first half and Barkley called him out for not being in shape.

"He's not in shape. He doesn't run, he plays the game strictly on talent," Barkley said. "He never runs on a fastbreak. He's kinda jogging on offense and defense. Somebody has got to get a hold of him cause he got so much talent., he's gonna be somewhat successful... He could be special."

Barkley is not sure, though, that Zion has someone around him who will make him get into shape.

"I don't know if he has a Moses Malone who told me I was fat and lazy," Barkley continued. "He owns that organization already, but if he could get in shape, this team, you would not wanna play this team."

(starts at 1:42 mark):

Barkley has always credited Moses Malone for ensuring he got in shape, which helped him become one of the greatest players ever. He believes Zion can be a very special player as well if he had a mentor like that. The 60-year-old also holds the Pelicans in high regard but believes they will ultimately only go as far as Zion takes them. 

As for Zion's fitness, he seemed to be in better shape earlier in the season than he is right now, for whatever reason. I do believe Barkley went a bit overboard with his criticism of Williamson's game, however. It just so happened that the Pelicans star had one of his poorer first halves the first time the Hall of Famer saw him in action this season.

The 23-year-old had just 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal at halftime, and he ended the game with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. That's not a reflection by any means of how he had played for much of the season.

In fact, in the eight games before this outing, Zion was averaging 25.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. We may not have seen the best of him, but he hasn't been a disappointment either.

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Charles Barkley Has Repeatedly Told Zion Williamson To Get In Shape

This is far from the first time that Barkley has gotten on Zion for not being in shape. He has repeatedly warned the two-time All-Star that he has to drop some weight and is clearly unhappy with the lack of progress on that front.

Barkley went as far as to say Zion might screw up his future if he doesn't get in shape. He thinks Williamson is a good kid but questions the kind of people he has around him.

Barkley also warned Zion that he would keep getting hurt if he didn't get in shape. The Hall of Famer stated that he has seen many players eat their way out of the league and doesn't want Williamson to go down that path.

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Zion Williamson Revealed He Has Struggled To Buy Into The Pelicans' System

Williamson's numbers this season are down when compared to some of his previous campaigns in the NBA, but that's down to him accepting a different kind of role and taking a bit of a backseat. Zion candidly revealed, though, that he has struggled to buy into the Pelicans' system.

"Last year, we had a team meeting. We brought up some things that I can do better, especially with buying into the program. Right now, it's tough. I'm taking a little bit of a back seat right now. I'm trusting the process. I'm trying my best to buy in right now."

As long as the team wins, I don't think he'd have serious issues, but the Pelicans haven't exactly set the NBA world on fire. They have had success in the In-Season Tournament, having now gotten to the semifinals, but they are just 12-10 on the season. If they continue to hover around .500, Zion might start getting unhappy about the situation he is in.

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