But, when we spoke with Smith at LAX this week, we got real about Zion ... asking how he can shed the extra pounds and get back to game shape by the time he's back to 100%.
"Every player in their career... they're going to get hurt at some point if you have a long career," Kenny told us. "In that time, you gotta figure out how to stay in shape and stay into a basketball body."
Kenny says he's confident the 21-year-old will figure it out ... and it won't be as hard as people think.