Zion Williamson Lost 7 Pounds, In 'Impeccable' Shape After Injury History, Pelicans' Joe Dumars Says

Zion Williamson's injury issues and struggles at times with fitness have been prevailing storylines in a career defined by brief glimpses of transcendent talent but longer stints of unavailability.

But New Orleans Pelicans basketball operations chief Joe Dumars told reporters Monday at the team's media day that the star forward—who was listed at 277 pounds, seven pounds lighter than last season—is in "impeccable condition" ahead of the 2026-27 season.

"At some point, you just want the player to get it," he continued. "If someone has to call you every morning to drag you out of bed, to get you to work out, you don't get it yet. But when you're up and you're doing it, and you're the one leading it, then you start looking at that guy and you go, 'Okay, he's good.' ... That's what I saw from him this year. You can't play 82 games and not be in great shape. And so we talked about him being in impeccable condition and he has done that."

Williamson, 26, played 62 games last season, the second most he's played during a campaign in his career. He averaged 21 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and a steal per game, shooting 60 percent from the field, though the Pelicans went just 26-56 and missed the playoffs for the third time in four years. New Orleans hasn't won a postseason series since the 2017-18 season and since being drafted in 2019, Williamson has missed 278 career games.

If New Orleans can stay healthy, a core of Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears is interesting, though breaking into the playoffs in the West is no small task. But the team's upside begins and ends with Williamson.