Pelicans’ Zion Williamson Suffers Setback; Return Delayed

Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson experienced a setback with his surgically repaired foot and his return to the court has been delayed, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN.

Williamson did not practice Thursday after suffering some soreness in the foot, and after ramping up workouts, he will now be dialed back, Lopez reported. The plan for now is for Williamson to start intensifying his practice routine again next week.

So while it appears to be only a minor setback, it is still a scary situation for New Orleans, which has been cautiously — though excitedly — awaiting Williamson’s return.

“While the Pelicans may be right that a slight delay in Williamson’s rehab shouldn’t be viewed as a major concern, the team is facing increased scrutiny, given the All-Star forward’s injury history,” wrote Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors. “Williamson also missed a significant chunk of his rookie season due to a knee injury, far exceeding the recovery timeline the team initially provided at the time.”

Williamson, 21, is 6-foot-7 and averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 61 games last season. He suffered the injury during the offseason and has been recovering from the ensuing surgery since.

This marks the second time in three seasons he has missed a large chunk of time with an injury, and that alone is truly a bit concerning. As we relayed last month, the team has even changed its culinary practices to help Williamson get to an ideal playing weight.

The Pelicans (6-18) have played better lately, but were blown out by the Mavericks at home on Wednesday and travel to meet Dallas again on Friday.