Initial reports stated that Zion Williamson's preseason knee injury was not too severe, but it looks like things are a bit more serious than the New Orleans Pelicans originally believed.
The team announced that the No. 1 overall pick has undergone surgery to repair a torn meniscus and will be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks.
Update on Zion: pic.twitter.com/7Jn2jEdUVS
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 21, 2019
This is obviously a crushing blow for the Pelicans, who had actually hoped to contend for a playoff spot in the Western Conference this season.
For Williamson, it's the third knee injury he has suffered in less than a year.
The first one occurred while he was at Duke, when his shoe exploded during a game against North Carolina in February. He then banged knees with a New York Knicks player in Summer League, and he re-injured it during the preseason.
Considering how Williamson relies almost exclusively on his freakish athleticism and puts quite a toll on his body from all of the violent jumping and landing he does, this is obviously concerning.
The 19-year-old is viewed by some as the best NBA prospect we have seen since LeBron James entered the league back in 2003, but he has already underwent a surgery, something James has never had to deal with throughout what is now a 17-year career.
During his lone collegiate season, Williamson averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks over 30 minutes per game while shooting 68 percent from the floor, 33.8 percent from three-point range and 64 percent from the free-throw line.
The youngsters has drawn comparisons to Charles Barkley.
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