The New Orleans Pelicans have been without their best player, Zion Williamson, all season due to a foot injury. Williamson fractured his foot working out during the off season. In his absence, the Pelicans have had a rough go of it. On Tuesday, Pelicans head coach Willie Green announced yet another troubling update on Williamson's progress.
SB Nation's Oleh Kosel tweeted out Green's admission.
Zion Williamson is still receiving treatment and “the Pelicans haven’t progressed him yet,” per Willie Green.
As for whether the soreness has dissipated in his right foot:
“Somewhat, but there’s still some things he’s dealing with and he’s trying to work through.”
— Oleh Kosel 🇺🇦 (@OlehKosel) December 7, 2021
The timetable for Williamson's return has changed more times than the team seemingly has wins. News of the injury and the subsequent surgery was kept relatively quiet by the Pelicans organization. That probably helped their relationship with Zion himself, but has eroded the trust of the fan base a bit.
Instead of providing a timetable, the Pelicans continue to simply push back a possible return for the star forward. They use general terms like “There's still some things he's dealing with and he's trying to work through.” What are those things? What is he working on doing?
Zion Williamson reportedly had another setback recently while ramping up his practice. He had returned to full team activities when he felt soreness in his injured right foot. That caused the organization to slow things down, which is probably a smart move.
The Pelicans are 7-19 and do not appear to be capable of making a push for a playoff spot. If that is the case, there's no reason to rush him back. It might get to the point where it makes sense to shut him down for the season, let him heal completely, and try to run it back at full strength next season.
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