Sorry New Orleans Pelicans fans, but you can't count on superstar Zion Williamson returning just yet.
Williamson, who is recovering from a foot injury, reportedly is experiencing soreness in his foot and his return to action has been delayed. He had just begun doing 4-on-4 full court work before experiencing soreness.
Zion Williamson is experiencing soreness in his foot and his return has been delayed.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) December 2, 2021
Williamson did not practice today. The soreness has persisted. No re-imaging has been scheduled at this time.
Williamson will be dialed back before ramping back up next week.
Williamson had been doing 4-on-4 full court work but started to experience the soreness - but no sharp pains.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) December 2, 2021
Pels are dialing back his workload for now. Will go back to low-impact work and go up from there once again.
The Pelicans have gone from a potential playoff contender with Williamson on the floor to one of the worst teams in the NBA in just one offseason. New Orleans is 6-18 on the season and has yet to find a rhythm with Zion yet to make his 2021-22 debut.
Last season, the former No. 1 overall pick made is first All-Star team and averaged 25.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 60.4 percent from the field. He's one of the best young players in the league, but he has been unable to stay healthy early in his career.
Pelicans fans can only hope that this setback will only deter his return for a week or so, as New Orleans has already slipped into the bottom three in WynnBET's odds to win the Western Conference.
That's not a good sign for the team's playoff chances, and those chances are going to remain low until Zion can get back on the floor.