“His career is in jeopardy of being derailed” - Brian Windhorst on Zion Williamson's injury mystery
The NBA community had high hopes for the New Orleans Pelicans' Zion Williamson, but it seems like he might not be able to deliver at the highest level. Although he is a force when healthy, injuries have ravaged his career, and there are concerns that he might not live up to his potential.
The Pelicans have been without their franchise player all season and are sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference standings with a 23-35 record. Zion Williamson's absence is a source of concern and people are starting to wonder if there is more to the story.
On ESPN's Get Up, sports analyst Jay Williams and sports writer Brian Windhorst discussed Williamson's injury problems. When asked about the situation in New Orleans, Windhorst said:
"We know that people aren't on the same page. We know Zion spent last summer away from the team. After he had this injury he was away from the team. When his rehab this year had a setback, he went away from the team. He hasn't been around the team in six weeks."
He added:
"The details of exactly what's going on have been kept confidential, I don't want to speculate. But we can say it's not going well because he was supposed to be back in November but we are in mid February, we haven't had an update in six weeks."
They also spoke about whether it would have been better for the Pels to pick Ja Morant, now with the Memphis Grizzlies, ahead of Williamson. However, Windhorst does not believe any franchise could have done that. Williamson and Morant were interestingly the No. 1 and No. 2 picks respectively.
The Pelicans reportedly tried to trade up for the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2019 Draft to pair Zion Williamson and Ja Morant together, reports @cclark_13.
Would’ve been INSANE. 🤯 https://t.co/cHVqlKFTCh
After referencing Williamson's college films, he talked about how the big man's decision to rehab around family is not a great one.
"He's now in a situation where his career is in jeopardy of being derailed. Changes have got to be made."
At the time of writing, there is no timetable for Williamson's return to action. With how things are going and how close we are to the end of the season, he might miss the entire 2021-22 campaign. The Pelicans have only 24 games left in the regular season.
Zion Williamson is yet to feature for the New Orleans Pelicans this season
Zion Williamson was the favorite to be the next face of the NBA after LeBron James' era came to an end, but his career has been derailed since his rookie season. The Pelicans big man has failed to maintain any consistency since his entry into the NBA in 2019.
No one has seen a player as dominant in the paint since the Shaquille O'Neal era. Williamson embodied the "bully-ball" and executed it to perfection.
Unfortunately, there has been one injury or the other since the big man was selected with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. The 21-year-old missed the first 44 games of his rookie season due to a meniscus tear in his right knee.
Zion Williamson Duke Highlights! https://t.co/02IY6hnSdu
Since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, Williamson has been on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on his foot. He injured his right foot during a workout session during the offseason and has not played since then.
Although he was cleared for basketball activities sometime in November 2021, an MRI taken in December showed that he has regressed in his recovery. His weight has also been a source of major concern for the team and fans, as reports revealed that he was north of 300 pounds.
Regardless of the setbacks, Zion Williamson could still develop into an elite offensive player. Last season, he averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 61.1% from the field.