The New Orleans Pelicans won’t have their franchise star Zion Williamson on the floor once they open the 2021-22 NBA season. This was confirmed by the team’s vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, who told reporters earlier this week that Williamson is still recovering from the foot surgery he underwent in the offseason.
According to Griffin, Williamson’s recent test results were encouraging, but the team doesn’t want to rush him back until he is fully healthy. The 21-year-old star will be re-evaluated in two weeks from now, and the Pelicans expect to have more information then.
“It’s everyone’s goal that Zion return to play as soon as safely possible,” Griffin said. “Obviously, two to 2½ weeks from now means he will not be on the floor for the first week of games. When he is able to return safely, we will do that.”
Williamson underwent the surgery in August after breaking his foot during one of the summer practices. The Pelicans, however, waited until late September to make the news public.
It makes sense for New Orleans to be careful with Zion Williamson, considering he already had one major injury in his short NBA career. Williamson tore his meniscus two years ago, and the injury limited him to only 24 games in his rookie year.
Williamson was injury-free last season, and he immediately showed why he was the first overall pick in 2019. The Duke product had a stellar sophomore campaign in which he averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists per game, and earned an All-Star nod.
