With all eyes on the struggling Lakers and eye-appealing 76ers, there’s a story in New Orleans that has everyone scratching their heads.
Zion Williamson, who has been out with a foot injury, has missed the entire season so far and doesn’t look close to a return. Strangely, there have been no updates on his condition, leaving fans and experts to wonder just what exactly is going on.
In an appearance on Sports Nation, NBA Insider Brian Windhorst provided an “update” on the strange situation all but stamps out any hope of a Zion sighting this season.
“Obviously, we have not heard anything official from Zion in now almost two months. At the time, the timeline was 2-3 weeks. So, the Pelicans have taken great care and Zion Williamson’s camp has taken great care to not allow anything official out about his condition. But it is clear within the team that they do not expect him to return in the short term… it has not been a flow of good news. Zion was supposed to come back literally five months ago. So, this has been an unfortunate situation and really the question is, what can be done to make sure of his health both short term and long term? They are barrelling toward trying to make the playoffs, but when they made the CJ trade they knew there was a good chance Zion was not going to be back this season. They just don’t know when he’s coming back.”
Coming out of Duke, Zion was hailed as the next great generational talent. When he’s on the floor, he lives up to that title. Through 85 games, he has shown flashes of his potential.
Sadly, the career of the 21-year-old swingman has been hijacked by injury, and there is no telling when it will end.
As the mystery and secrecy continue, the fate of Williamson and his Pelicans hang in the balance. If he can get right, stay healthy, and play up to his potential, New Orleans could become a force to be reckoned with in the basketball world.
