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The NBA regular season will start with a flat tire, literally and figuratively, as Zion Williamson's torn meniscus diagnosis flattened many who hoped to see the prodigy make his debut. Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans are unable to pinpoint when or where the injury actually occurred, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry told reporters last week that Williamson might have suffered the injury on Oct. 13 against the San Antonio Spurs. Three days after that game, the rookie admitted some tightness in his right knee, and a precautionary MRI ultimately revealed the torn meniscus.
The Pelicans were quick to note that the recovery timetable of 6-8 weeks will also be used to get the No. 1 overall selection into a conditioning program to help him reduce his weight.
Zion was listed at 6-foot-7 and 285 pounds while at Duke University, and the latest report has him measured at 6-foot-6 after his biometrics came back from New Orleans. There is no clear indication as to where his weight is at right before the season, but if he's still at that weight, he is the second-heaviest player in the NBA, trailing only 7-foot-4 giant Boban Marjanovic of the Dallas Mavericks.
That weight alone means a lot of torque in his joints, and the meniscus would be one of the first ones to go after performing the series of athletic feats he has done in the past.
The Pelicans won't rush Williamson, even if he tries to return by the low end of the timetable, knowing there's much more than this season hanging in the balance.
