Things have not gone well for the New Orleans Pelicans to begin the 2021-22 NBA season. They are currently 1-6 and are embarking on a four-game road trip that starts in the desert against the Phoenix Suns. To make matters worse, they are still waiting for All-Star Zion Williamson to get back on the court.
Williamson is still recovering from the foot procedure he had during the offseason. As if the injury wasn’t enough, Williamson also gained a lot of weight and has to work his way back into game condition while rehabbing his foot injury.
He is progressing in his recovery, which is a good sign. However, an exact return to play is still up in the air. Head coach Willie Green did provide an upgrade, saying that doctors were encouraged by the last scans on Williamson’s foot and he has begun taking part in some on-court work but cannot yet take part in contact drills.
“He’s cutting. He’s doing explosive work. He’s running. He’s getting closer and closer,” Green said. “It’s just one of those injuries where we want to be really diligent, especially with the foot, of being careful when we put him back on the floor at full go.”
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In two or three weeks, Williamson will head back to the doctor for his next set of scans. At that time it will be determined if he can be cleared for full 5-of-5 work. If he receives clearance for that, it will not be long before he returns to the court for regular-season games.
“I think he has to go through some of that to see where he is,” Green said. “You have to feel the real grind and bump of playing against competitors. That’s the part he hasn’t done yet.”
Williamson is traveling with the team, so he can partake in practicing plays and walkthroughs. That will hopefully help cut down on the time he needs to get up to speed after his next scans.
Being sidelined for three more weeks will cost Williamson a minimum of 11 more games. Add a few days of practice to ramp up his conditioning and he could be sidelined another week.
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All in all, it would not be surprising if Williamson missed the first quarter of the season. New Orleans could be stuck in a hole too big to climb out of at that point if they win with the same frequency they have to begin the season.
Disappointingly, this isn’t even the longest stretch of games the New Orleans Pelicans have been without Zion Williamson to begin his career. He missed 13 weeks at the start of his rookie season during the 2019-20 campaign recovering from a meniscus injury.
