Zion Williamson has been out all season for the New Orleans Pelicans. There’s no doubt the team has missed his abilities on the court, but they have still had a solid enough season without him under Brandon Ingram’s leadership, and are currently the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Shams Charania has previously reported that Zion Williamson is not expected to return this season. It seems as though the reasoning was that there’s very little of the regular season left, which meant that there is “an improbably tight window” for Zion Williamson to “complete the team’s ramp-up stages” and return to the court.
“Sources said Zion Williamson is not expected to return to play this season, but that he is making progress toward on-court work. So far, Williamson has been seen doing stationary shooting and is able to bear weight on his injured foot.
“New Orleans has 11 regular-season games remaining, which leaves an improbably tight window for Williamson to complete the team’s ramp-up stages ranging from one-on-zero to five-on-five scrimmaging. Williamson returned to New Orleans two weeks ago after rehabbing his fractured foot injury in Portland, and the 21-year-old has been cleared to gradually progress in basketball activities.”
Even if he isn’t returning this season, it seems as though Zion Williamson has been putting in the work and getting in shape. A recent video shared by Bleacher Report showed Zion Williamson throwing a lob to himself off the backboard and dunking. Zion Williamson’s athleticism was on full display there.
ZION BACK IN THE GYM 😳🔥 https://t.co/OwmKpBIvlj
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 23, 2022
Things can change in the NBA, and perhaps we will end up seeing Zion Williamson before the end of the season. He would certainly help the team’s play-in chances with his scoring.
If things don’t change though, it’ll be amazing to see a healthy Zion Williamson next season. The New Orleans Pelicans have some really good players on the roster such as Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum. With Zion Williamson, that team could definitely make some noise next season.
