{"id":1484453,"date":"2022-02-22T21:29:12","date_gmt":"2022-02-23T02:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1484453"},"modified":"2022-02-23T00:24:42","modified_gmt":"2022-02-23T05:24:42","slug":"jj-redick-blasts-former-teammate-zion-williamson-for-being-detached-from-pelicans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/jj-redick-blasts-former-teammate-zion-williamson-for-being-detached-from-pelicans\/","title":{"rendered":"JJ Redick Blasts Former Teammate Zion Williamson for Being &#8216;Detached' From Pelicans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/new-orleans-pelicans\/\">New Orleans Pelicans<\/a> guard CJ McCollum was at All-Star Weekend in Cleveland. The 30-year-old guard represented the team he\u2019d been with for less than two weeks in the Three-Point Shootout. McCollum stunned the NBA world when revealing he hadn\u2019t talked to presumed franchise player <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/zion-williamson\/\">Zion Williamson<\/a>. However, JJ Redick turned the volume to 11 when he roasted Williamson during a television appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Redick and Williamson were teammates in the Big Easy for parts of two seasons. They are also part of the notoriously close-knit lineage of Duke University players to go onto the NBA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blue Devil-on-Blue Devil crime was not what anyone expected on Feb. 22. But here we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-zion-williamson-reached-out-to-his-new-teammate-after-the-interview\">Zion Williamson reached out to his new teammate after the interview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Reacting to CJ McCollum saying he HASN&#039;T talked with Zion Williamson yet \ud83d\udc40 | KJM\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DE4eQ5-T2Oc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/malika_andrews\/status\/1496219967179849730\">tweet<\/a> from ESPN\u2019s Malika Andrews, Zion Williamson spoke to McCollum over All-Star Weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That conversation took place after McCollum told TNT\u2019s <em>NBA Tip-Off<\/em> crew on Feb. 19 that he had yet to talk directly to the Pelicans\u2019 young star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Per Christian Clark of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cclark_13\/status\/1495203700964569089\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NOLA.com<\/a> via Twitter, McCollum said, \u201cI know about as much as you do right now. But I\u2019m going to get to the bottom of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was 11 days after the trade that sent the eight-year veteran from the Portland Trail Blazers to New Orleans. Considering it was a high-profile addition, it is almost inconceivable that Williamson wouldn\u2019t have reached out sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft hasn\u2019t played this season after breaking a bone in his right foot during the offseason. Williamson left the team to rehab in Portland. Reports circulated before the All-Star break that the 21-year-old All-Star <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/zion-williamson-slowly-creeping-into-greg-oden-territory\/\">might require another surgical procedure<\/a> to repair the foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But JJ Redick says it\u2019s more than just a recent development. He claims Williamson has always been distant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-jj-redick-put-zion-williamson-on-full-blast\">JJ Redick put Zion Williamson on full blast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\ud83d\udc40 JJ Redick calls Zion a &#039;detached teammate&#039; for not speaking to CJ McCollum yet \ud83d\ude33 | First Take\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9KSsAws0rTQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>During an appearance on ESPN\u2019s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9KSsAws0rTQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">First Take<\/a><\/em>, longtime NBA guard JJ Redick couldn\u2019t believe that the star of the Pelicans, Zion Williamson, hadn\u2019t bothered to make contact with McCollum, a respected veteran who is also president of the National Basketball Players Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is something I addressed with Zion in front of the team,\u201d Redick said. \u201cThis is going back to his rookie year, ... a pattern of behavior with Zion that we are seeing again and again. I was his teammate; I can describe him as a detached teammate, that is an accurate statement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not every player leads from the front. But Redick accused the young star of violating a vital tenet as a team member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a responsibility that you have as an athlete when you play a team sport to be fully invested,\u201d Redick said. \u201cYou\u2019re fully invested in your body, you\u2019re fully invested in your work, and you\u2019re fully invested in your teammates. That is your responsibility, and we have not seen that from Zion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Williamson has played only 85 games in three seasons since the Pelicans tabbed him to replace Anthony Davis as the face of the franchise. In his one healthy campaign in 2020\u201321, he averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists a game en route to his first All-Star selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Redick\u2019s message is troubling, considering New Orleans is working under a tight deadline regarding their star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-pelicans-have-a-huge-decision-to-make-regarding-their-future\">The Pelicans have a huge decision to make regarding their future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/zion.jpg?w=1024&#038;h=576&#038;strip=all&#038;quality=89\" alt=\"JJ Redick said he talked to Zion Williamson about his detached approach to being a teammate while they played together with the New Orleans Pelicans.\" class=\"wp-image-1484455\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/zion.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/zion.jpg?w=300&amp;h=169 300w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/zion.jpg?w=768&amp;h=432 768w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/zion.jpg?w=1024&amp;h=576 1024w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/zion.jpg?w=107&amp;h=60 107w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption>JJ Redick said he talked to Zion Williamson about his detached approach to being a teammate while they played together with the New Orleans Pelicans. | Michael Reaves\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Zion Williamson is in the third year of his rookie contract. That means that come July 1, he\u2019s eligible for a rookie extension of up to $181 million over five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since 2008, only two No. 1 overall picks didn\u2019t get an extension to their rookie contracts. Anthony Bennett, taken first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013, didn\u2019t make it to the end of his rookie deal. Traded after his rookie year, the Minnesota Timberwolves waived Bennett before his third season began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other top pick snubbed was <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/deandre-ayton-didnt-get-contract-still-has-120-million-reasons-listen-chris-paul\/\">Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton<\/a>. The clock ran out before the player at the top of the 2018 draft could reach a deal last fall with the Suns. The deadline for rookie extensions is the day before the player\u2019s fourth NBA season begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Without an extension in place, New Orleans can retain their rights to Williamson by extending a $17.6 million qualifying offer in 2023 to make him a restricted free agent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If they can\u2019t entice him to remain with the Pelicans, the more likely scenario is a trade, either next summer or before the deadline in February 2023. The nightmare scenario for NOLA is to lose Williamson with nothing in return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Zion Williamson claims he loves New Orleans and wants to be there, his actions indicate otherwise. If it is a pattern of behavior, as JJ Redick claims, there will be some difficult conversations in the future for the Pelicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Statistics courtesy of <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Basketball Reference<\/em><\/a><em>. Contract information courtesy of <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotrac.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Spotrac<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/zion-williamsons-pelicans-career-on-last-legs\/\">Zion Williamson\u2019s Pelicans Career Is on Its Last Legs<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JJ Redick blasted fellow Dukie Zion Williamson for his detached demeanor toward his teammates with the New Orleans Pelicans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":1484455,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4870,11089],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v22.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>JJ Redick Blasts Former Teammate Zion Williamson for Being &#039;Detached&#039; 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