This news should not a shocker to anyone that has been following this story, but now it's official, Zion Williamson will not play for the remainder of the season as he continues to recover from foot surgery per The Atheltic's Shams Charania.
As the story goes, Williamson suffered a foot injury last summer that ended up needing surgery. The Pelicans didn't tell a soul until September with the belief that he would be ready to go for the start of the season. Williamson wasn't ready at the start but was cleared to participate in basketball activities in November. Zion experienced yet another setback due to the soreness that he was experiencing in his foot. At one point, Williamson was on the other side of the country in Portland, rehabbing away from the rest of the team.
Even though NBA fans won't get to see the former No. 1 overall pick in action this season, there have been some encouraging signs that Williamson is finally making progress. According to Charania's report, Williamson has been seen "doing stationary shooting," and can put weight on his foot. Charania added that he has been attended a few home games where the 21-year-old forward looked to be in "good spirits."
Injuries have played a major part in Williamson's career early on. He first missed 24 games his rookie season with a torn right lateral meniscus and avoided any major injury altogether during his sophomore season.
You can say what you want about his weight and availability, but when he is on the court, Williamson is a force to be reckoned with. In his first healthy season in the NBA last year, Zion averaged 27-7-3 while earning his first appearance in the All-Star game. The same can be said about his COVID-ravaged rookie campaign, where Williamson put up similar numbers. When play resumed in the bubble in Orlando, Williamson left to attend to an 'urgent' family matter but was upset with the Pelicans managing his minutes.
In an effort to appease the star, GM David Griffin handed out copies of the book "The Alchemist" a story about a young shepherd looking for treasure and even tried to channel his inner Beethoven, playing the piano for Williamson. This is the main reason people point to when discussing Williamson's souring relationship with the Pelicans front office.
Despite Williamson being M.I.A, the Pelicans have managed to work themselves into play-in contention at 30-41 (9th in the West) with only 11 games left in the regular season.
Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
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