Zion Williamson is a physical specimen. He is a veritable wrecking ball, one that is so huge that he can power through lesser men without breaking a sweat.

Listed at 6’6 and 285 pounds, there are very view NBA players of his height that have played at his weight.

For a quick reference, Michael Jordan was listed at 216 pounds in his prime, and Kobe Bryant was listed at 212 pounds in the same period. Jordan and Bryant don’t play the same position though.

The closest current player from a physical standpoint might be LeBron James, who at 6’8 and 250 pounds STILL weighs at least 30 pounds less than Williamson.

Perhaps the best comparison would be the ‘Round Mound of Rebound’ himself, Charles Barkley, who was also a notoriously undersized power forward. Like Zion, he also used a combination of skill and brute force to boss around men half a foot taller than him. Barkley was listed at 6’6 and 252 pounds and many contend that he was closer to 6’4.

Barkley did find success in the league, becoming a hall of famer and a legend for the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers. He somehow also did it in an age where medical assistance was less sophisticated, and when teams didn’t hire nutritionists to watch their diets – there are famous stories of Barkley eating McDonald’s pancakes while warming on up on a stationary bike.

However, the key difference between Barkley and Williamson is that the former actually didn’t miss a single game in his rookie season. He played in all 82 games and started in 60 of them. He made the Eastern Conference Finals as a rookie to boot.

Williamson has already missed the start of the season, with the New Orleans Pelicans first announcing that he was to miss a ‘period of weeks’ with a non-severe knee injury. It was then revealed that Williamson actually underwent surgery to repair his right lateral meniscus, which put his recovery time to up to two months.

This, unfortunately, raises a number of red flags about his durability. It wasn’t so only half a year ago that he blew through a shoe and injured his knee while playing for Duke.

An oversized body is always a source for worry, and early knee injuries can be tough to return from. They’re the joints that take the most damage from athletic activity, and are even more troublesome for people with extremely large frames.

The worry then is whether or not Williamson could see his career limited by injuries. Some would say it’s too early to think about it, but his unique physique is actually what might end up causing him problems.

Williamson’s situation will be worth monitoring, and there’s a lot of evidence that points to him needing to slim down to help alleviate the abuse that his knees take.

If anything, he should take a look at listening to what Barkley said to ESPN: “I don’t know what Zion’s perfect playing weight is going to be. I thought 300 was my perfect playing weight in college. I had to lose 50 pounds to become a Hall of Famer.”

Williamson has the potential to be a superstar, there’s no doubt about that. We’re just going to have to see if he and the Pelicans are able to find a way to balance his physique with his longevity.

NBA fans certainly hope that he does. You wouldn’t want to miss out on something special like Zion because he couldn’t stay healthy. Plus, the Pelicans are playing a perfect up-tempo style for someone of his caliber. When healthy, he would certainly make a big contribution to that young team.