It appears Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson is in a bad spot. Bad, as in, he may need a second surgery on the injury right foot that’s kept him out of this season, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com.
Williamson underwent offseason surgery after injuring the foot in a summer workout. As Clark noted, the Pelicans were hopeful he could return by late December, but he experienced another setback.
Clark wrote that it’s “possible” Williamson’s foot will need a second surgery but that “nothing has been decided.”
Either way, Williamson’s absence has been a major issue for both the Pelicans and the former No. 1 overall pick. Whatever happens next with this foot injury, it’s very clearly serious.
Whether it’s Greg Oden serious, or just will keep Williamson out of the season … New Orleans has reason to be concerned.
In early January, ESPN reported that Williamson had been continuing his rehab in Portland, away from the team. The Pelicans, for their part, have been fairly transparent in Williamson’s recovery.
“Since we notified everyone on December 16 of his latest imaging, it was decided then by our medical team to dial his rehab back to only partial weight bearing activities. He continues along that path,” Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said back in January.
“We also agreed that in order to put Zion in the best position to succeed, he will rehab away from the team at this time so he can focus on the task at hand.”
Williamson, 21, is 6-foot-7 and averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 61 games last season.
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 in November, the Pelicans have even changed their culinary practices to help Williamson get to an ideal playing weight.
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