Zion Williamson Injury Update: Pelicans star dropped from contact drills, working one-on-one

Zion Williamson removed for doing contact drills and one-on-one training, New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday’s announcement. He underwent further imaging last week for a medical check-up and the next step will come when he receives more pictures on November 24 to determine if he can be cleared to train for team or not. That will be the last major obstacle he needs to tackle before he returns to the floor.

The third-year superstar has yet to play for the Pelicans this season. He fractured his foot during the off-season and has been recovering from surgery since. This is the latest in a string of injuries for Williamson, who missed time at Duke with a sprained knee that occurred when he broke his shoe, and as a rookie in the 2019-20 season, he just played 24 games while recovering from injury. meniscus face.

The longer Williamson is out, the worse things will come for the Pelicans. New Orleans is 2-13 this season. Only 1-13 Houston Rockets was worse. Top executive David Griffin initially stated that he expected Williamson to return at the start of the season, but that deadline has long since passed. Reports suggest that Williamson is not feeling happy in New Orleans so far in his career. He will be eligible for a contract extension this season. If he chooses to opt out of it, he will become a restricted free agent in 2022 and will have a path to becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2023 if he wants it.

It’s an outcome that the Pelicans are doing everything in their power to avoid. Maneuvering the ship begins with a healthy Williamson. He still has many ways to go, but this is the first step in the right direction for him during a dismal start to the season for both him and his team.