The inevitable became official for Pelicans star Zion Williamson on Thursday, when the team confirmed he would miss the outset of the upcoming season while continuing to recover from surgery to repair a broken foot.
The move was mostly expected after Williamson was trending toward being unavailable for at least the Pelicans' first few games, having missed all of the team's preseason games and regular practice activity.
Pelicans official David Griffin confirmed the development on Thursday.
Williamson's mending foot will next be scanned in about two weeks, Griffin told reporters, which would seem to rule him out for at least the first week of games.
There was no "fixed" timeline for the All-Star's return, he added.
Williamson has lived up to the hype when healthy, but so far he has missed time in each of his first two seasons due to injury, and this year will make it three in a row.
Last month, the Pelicans revealed the former No. 1 overall pick underwent the surgery early in the offseason. The hope was that he might be ready for opening night, but to no avail. Reports on his overall progress in camp were encouraging, however.
With a long season ahead, the Pelicans seem to be taking the prudent approach in making sure their prized talent is fully ready before returning to the floor.
They open the regular season at home against the 76ers on Oct. 20.
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