Sports Injury Doctor Says Zion Williamson 'In A Race Against His Own Body'
Dr. Brian Sutterer has become a well-known analyst of sports injuries on YouTube and Twitter and was recently interviewed by Ethan Sherwood Strauss of The Athletic about Zion Williamson.
Williamson\'s minutes have been closely managed by the New Orleans Pelicans and hasn\'t looked as explosive during the NBA\'s restart.
“He’s in a race against his own body,” Dr. Sutterer said over the phone. “If you go watch his Duke highlights compared to now, the difference is profound. In my opinion, his athleticism and conditioning have regressed substantially. He’s less explosive, less conditioned, slower on defense, has already had a portion of his meniscus removed from his knee after an injury, and he’s still under close monitoring from the medical staff.”
Williamson sees a troubling long-term trend with Williamson.
“I feel like nobody really wants to call it like we all see it,” Dr. Sutterer said. “He’s trying to reverse a career trajectory that by the Pelicans’ own admission is worrisome as evidenced by his ‘reprogramming’ and scrutinized minutes. He had four months to start making positive strides and to me he’s regressed more. When will he finally start to reverse course? Will it be in time before more substantial fitness concerns and injuries limit him and threaten his career? Instead of outpacing these risks, I’m worried that Zion is losing the race.”
