New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry feels that a November return might be too ambitious for Zion Williamson, according to a report from Scott Kushner of The Times Picayune.
Alvin Gentry said it would be too “ambitious” to expect Zion back at the end of the month.
— Scott Kushner (@ScottDKushner) November 7, 2019
Williamson has been sidelined due to a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. The former Duke standout underwent arthroscopic surgery in October to address the issue. His timetable for return was initially set at six to eight weeks.
It sounds like we won't be seeing Zion playing with the Pelicans until sometime in December, which is unfortunate for fans. However, the team knows they'll need to be cautious with the return of their star player.
So far, Brandon Ingram, Derrick Favors and Nicolo Melli have seen increased workloads with Williamson out of commission.
Some critics argued that Williamson's weight may have played a role in his injury. The Pelicans, however, do not share that belief.
“Williamson’s rehabilitation could mean less weight-lifting and more strategic planning, but the Pelicans plan to figure out the best method while letting Zion be Zion, and that does not include managing his weight,” Shams Charania wrote in his recent article for The Athletic.
And Pelicans general manager David Griffin had this to say about Zion's weight:
“It’d be great if he was lighter,” Griffin said via nola.com. “But you don’t want him to be lighter at the expense of the strength he needs to control himself.”
Hopefully, Zion will be able to get back on the floor sooner rather than later. For now, he'll continue to do everything in his power to come back fully healthy.
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