Zion Williamson needs to "get in shape" if he is to fulfil his potential in the NBA, according to Hall of Famer Karl Malone.

New Orleans selected Williamson with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft but a meniscus tear in preseason and a season shortened by the coronavirus pandemic meant he played just 24 games in his rookie campaign.

The Duke product is up to 36 games – still less than half the standard season – but former power forward Malone, a two-time MVP who had All-NBA First Team honours on 11 occasions, thinks he need to improve his physique if he is to maximise his abilities.

Williamson is listed at six foot, seven inches and 284 pounds, with Malone pointing to Glen 'Big Baby' Davis as an example of someone who did not live up to their billing due to their size – Davis was 6ft 9in and played at 289 pounds.

"I love Zion Williamson. Zion needs to get into shape. If he doesn't get in shape, we might not ever know his full potential," Malone said on The Players' Tribune's Knuckleheads podcast.

"There's a young man that played at LSU, 'Big Baby' Davis. Big Baby made a comment about eight months ago, he did an ESPN show … he came on that show and he said, 'Look guys, I'm about to get into trouble now with what I'm about to say. I know everybody loves Zion and I love him too. But Zion has the same body type that I had.'

"He was talking about himself. And he said if he doesn't get into shape, we'll never know his full potential. And he did get heat from that."

Williamson had 32 points with five rebounds and three assists as the Pelicans suffered a 118-102 defeat to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, New Orleans losing for the sixth time in seven games to slip to 5-8 for the season.

This season the 20-year-old is averaging 23.4 points and 8.0 rebounds in 32.6 minutes per game. That ranks him 44th in minutes per game, with his usage percentage of 29.1 enough for 39th in the league.

However, he leads in the league in contested three-points shots per game at 5.9.

Malone added: "I'm still waiting on him to play the whole damn season… and he needs to be averaging 40 minutes per game. Look here, you're a 21, 22-year-old kid. Your a** shouldn't get tired."

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson will miss the Los Angeles Clippers matchup due to the NBA's health and safety protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Pelicans announced Williamson's absence prior to Wednesday's tip-off against the Clippers in Los Angeles.

New Orleans were already set to be without Lonzo Ball (knee) and Eric Bledsoe (eye) for the Clippers showdown as they try to arrest a three-game slump.

Williamson – the number one draft pick in 2019 – has been averaging 21.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Pelicans (4-5) this season.

It comes after the NBA postponed Wednesday's Atlanta Hawks-Phoenix Suns game due to league rules on health and safety protocols.

The scheduled midweek contests between the Utah Jazz-Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic-Boston Celtics were also postponed amid the growing impact of COVID-19 on the NBA season.