Zion Williamson will return to the court this season at some point, but the Pelicans pumped the brakes on that process this week.
Zion had been cleared for full basketball activities but had foot soreness this week so the team has dialed back his workouts. Williamson underwent foot surgery during the offseason.
Pelicans F Zion Williamson did not practice today due to right foot soreness, per David Griffin. #NBA
— Erin Summers (@ErinESummers) December 2, 2021
His workload will be dialed back for the next road trip and if he does not continue to feel any soreness, Williamson will resume the process of getting back to 5-on-5.
This is not a new injury or even a re-injury. It’s soreness. While there is no official timeline for Zion’s return, what does this news mean in the context that we know the Pelicans will be cautious bringing him back — as they have always been around his injuries. Probably a few weeks longer before he returns, reports Will Guillory on the Pels beat.
No doubt this is bad news for Zion and the Pels. This will probably add a few more weeks to his return timeline. But it could’ve been worse. https://t.co/vZ0WRlvtKo
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) December 2, 2021
The Pelicans need to be sure Zion’s foot is ready to handle the stress of NBA games, and that he is in condition (there have been reports of Zion’s weight having been above 300 pounds at one point).
Zion has averaged 25.7 points, 7 rebounds and 3.2 assists a game over his career.
The Pelicans are 6-18 on the season and 5.5 games back of the last play-in slot, with Fivethirtyeight.com giving the Pelicans a 16% chance of making the playoffs.
