Zion s success in losing weight seems to be returning to college, but can the cycle of Pelicans hope and disappointment end?

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New Orleans News - The Pelicans completed all processes step by step on the media day.

Herbert Jones updated his fishing fun facts. Trey Murphy discussed the progress he made in the summer, although injuries limited his playing time. Pelicans head coach Willie Green said that as long as the team can stay healthy, they are extremely talented.

However, in the past five years, two questions have always dominated the headlines of Pelicans Media Day: Is Zion Williamson healthy? What is Zion Williamson's body shape?

Williamson gave a loud answer to all these concerns without saying anything. Photos of him successfully losing weight almost immediately after he stepped onto the media on Tuesday.

When he started speaking, he added fire to the craze.

"I have never felt this way since college," Williamson told reporters. "I walked into the gym and felt good." Murphy's comment added fuel to the craze, saying: "He's thinner than any time I've ever seen in the summer. I feel like he's in a very good spirit." Their star players are more focused than ever, and Pelicans fans have reason to be ecstatic. If this team wants to return to the playoffs, it must start with a healthy and dominant Williamson.

Nevertheless, it is hard not to feel a familiar feeling when looking at all the remarks and photos circulating on social media. This is not the first time the hype about Zion has reached its climax. It is not the first time we have heard him talk about his mentality shift and his determination to fight back against doubt.

The optimism surrounding his early season and the painful disappointment that followed the ruin of the season with injuries has become a lingering norm in New Orleans.

In the past few years, even if Williamson is unable to play, the Pelicans have enough talent to stay competitive. And now, it is quite obvious that without Williamson leading them forward, the Pelicans would have no place in the competitive Western Conference. Whether history will repeat itself is the only important question in New Orleans this season.

If Williamson stays healthy, the Pelicans could be a vibrant and promising young team. If he is out of the game again due to injury for a long time, this season is likely to end in disaster.

"When he can play...he is one of the best players in the NBA," said coach Green. "(can play) is crucial to him."

In his six NBA seasons, Williamson has missed an astonishing 258 regular season games. That doesn't include the two playoff series he missed due to injury in 2022 and 2024.

Although Williamson has made efforts to improve his size, the patience of insiders and outsiders is being exhausted due to the star's lack of reliability. David Griffin, former Pelicans basketball president who chose Williamson with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, was fired in April last year. If the season goes badly, Green could be the next person to be fired.

More importantly, if Williamson can't prove his ability to carry the team on his shoulders, it could also be his last season in New Orleans. If this continues, the Pelicans must get rid of this vicious cycle at some point.

"I don't think he's a guy who wants to get hurt and doesn't want to play," Pelicans point guard DeJontae Murray said. "In the end, we can only wait and see. Hopefully he can play healthy throughout the season... This is the only way to really see the team's strength and what heights he can reach." The hope for New Orleans is that the team's new CEO Joe Dumas can use his championship bloodline and Hall of Fame qualifications to have a positive impact on Williamson. Dumas is committed to connecting with Williamson in the summer. In recent weeks, they have had many conversations about the direction of the team and their expectations for the team’s facade.

Dumas expressed the same view on Monday, telling the media that "conscientiousness" and "responsibility" are two words he emphasizes every time he talks with Williamson.

"I knew he would call me with very high standards. If I made a mistake or had something wrong, I knew he would show up right away and make sure I got back on track," Williamson said. "We sat down and had some candid conversations. They accepted me. I told them I wouldn't let them down... They really trust me, which helped me a lot."

To meet these high standards, Williamson first put in the effort to make sure he was mentally and physically ready to play the superstar performance the team expected.

Williamson said Tuesday that he developed a training program with Pelicans trainer Daniel Bouf last season, which helped him reshape his body and played the most efficient stats in his career (although he only played 30 games).

"We made a plan... During that time last year, I felt the change in my body," Williamson said. "I would look at (Bove) and say, 'It's great to feel so good.'" "This summer, Williamson also spent more time training with former Pelicans assistant Theresa Witherspoon, who Williamson calls her "big sister" to improve some aspects of his game.

"We emphasize training in small spaces," Williamson said. "Usually, when I attack the rim, the penalty area is crowded. We trained how to read defense, choose to shoot. Make the game easier for me. ”

The cruel thing for Williamson is that some of these things are beyond his control. He can complete all the training, eat all the right food, and be the vocal leader the Pelicans need. But if his hamstring injury recurs, or he suffers another injury that left him a long absence, all the positive momentum he has built will go to waste.

For Zion and the Pelicans, it will be another season that ends in disappointment—and probably the last.