2 min read • December 17, 2021
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Pelicans star Zion Williamson had an injection in his right foot to "promote healing," and will be re-evaluated in 4-6, according to a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania.
The newest trickle down of information – the latest of many – is more evidence to suggest that Williamson will undergo a 2nd surgery to heal his Jones fracture and not appear for New Orleans during the 2021-22 season.
We have been steadfast since the beginning that the 6-foot-6 big man's return would be longer that originally anticipated by the Pelicans, and the regression in healing combined with the newest step of the injection procedure seems to signal another surgery in the near future.
The injection is likely a platelet-rich plasma or bone graft material. Despite the stated timeline of 4-6 weeks, it is unheard of to be healed in that time frame. The best-case scenario for the 22-year-old and the team will be good progress shown during the re-evaluation, and then a return in another 6 weeks, which would put his season debut sometime in-or-around March and leave him with a 20-game season. That juice isn't worth the squeeze for the Smoothie King Center residents.
The next step for Williamson will be to return to his playing weight and work on finding an ideal number to promote health in his lower body, as by the end of this season, he will have played in only 85 of 226 possibly games – 37.6%, which would be an ideal 3-point percentage, not games played – in his 3 seasons.
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