Pelicans' Zion Williamson set to be sidelined even longer

The Pelicans will have to wait even longer for their star to return.

Zion Williams still isn't ready for return

The New Orleans Pelicans have been dealt a blow, as it is now understood that forward Zion Williamson has suffered a setback in his rehab process and will face additional weeks of recovery. Williamson, has not featured in a single game this season due to an offseason operation which he underwent to repair his fractured right foot. With this latest setback, the NBA All-Star will now have no choice but to sit and wait as both he and his team wait for his bone to heal properly.

The Pelicans released a statement on Saturday saying, "After experiencing persistent soreness in his right foot, Zion Williamson underwent medical imaging which showed a regression in the bone healing of his fifth metatarsal," the statement said. "As a result, the volume and intensity of his training will be reduced for an extended period to help allow for further bone healing."

There is no timeline for Williamson's return

At present there is no clear and definitive timeline for Williamson's return to the court of play. At best one can review the chronology of events pertaining to his injury in an attempt to gauge how long his absence could potentially last. On December 2nd the Pelicans announced that Williamson was experiencing soreness in his foot which in turn prevented him from participating fully in team drills during practice - which all players were due to commence from that day. The Pelicans then communicated that they would be restricting his involvement in 5-on-5 drills, instead preferring to focus on low-impact work. As it stands Williamson will have to weight until he undergoes an additional round of imaging to assess his status before he can return to working with weight.

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Zion Williamson is a big loss

While Zion Williamson hasn't been in the NBA for a long time, he has certainly made his mark. Debuting in the 2019-20 season, he faced a set back when he was sidelined until late January 2020, due to a torn meniscus. In the end Williamson only played 24 games on the season as the campaign was also curtailed by postponement due to covid-19. In total Williamson played 61 games of a possible 72 while averaging 27 points per game with a shooting percentage of 61%. He would later be name and NBA All-Star. Sadly, as he is yet to take the court this season, Williamson has now incredibly played 85 games in his career while missing 87. There is still no return date in mind.