With a stroke of bad luck, Zion Williamson, the towering 6-foot-7-inch all-muscle power forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, broke his right foot during the off-season. Pelicans fans can breathe a sigh of relief, however — It has been reported that Williamson should be available for the first game of the 2021-22 NBA season.
In Williamson’s short career, he has already sustained a variety of different injuries. For someone his size, he is surprisingly nimble and has the spring and agility of players 100 pounds lighter. Perhaps his use of quick movements while toting some serious weight makes him susceptible to injury. He only played 24 games in his rookie season due to a knee injury, as well as having his second season cut short after a thumb injury.
The latest incident occurred before the NBA summer league, where reportedly Williamson fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Specifics about exactly how the injury happened are unknown but when asked about it at a press conference, Williamson blamed his eagerness to “get after it.”
“I think I was overdoing it when I was training cause’ it felt like I had this huge chip on my shoulder,” he said.
Williamson went into surgery shortly after the fracture and has been steadily healing in hopes to be back before the season opener. “The process of healing has been great. I’ve been working with the team; training every day. It’s been good,” he said.
The Pelicans VP of basketball operations, David Griffin, has met with Williamson and his and family to create a recovery plan. “He was working out on his own on the court, and frankly was doing an unbelievable job,” said Griffin. “It’s crazy sometimes what happens when you look your best. But he was doing that prior to Summer League and suffered the injury on the court while playing.”
Williamson has been recovering throughout the summer and has less than a month to be game-ready. The Pelicans are set to start their regular season at home against the 76ers at the end of October. Despite some unfortunate circumstances, the big man has proven that he is a mighty competitor. Williamson was NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2020 and an NBA All-Star in 2021 while averaging 26 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game.
