Pelicans star Zion Williamson may need second foot surgery?

It was learned early last month that New Orleans Pelicans All-Star forward Zion Williamson remained sidelined indefinitely as he continued to rehab from offseason surgery to repair a fracture in his right foot. He also required a biologic injection into the site of the fracture before Christmas. 

Williamson's return may be delayed even further and ultimately pushed back to next season.

According to Christian Clark of NOLA.com, Williamson "began experiencing soreness in his right foot" while working out in December and may "need a second surgery" at some point down the road. Clark added that "nothing has been decided" yet about how to best treat the 21-year-old who hasn't played a second of meaningful basketball this season. 

A report surfaced in December that Williamson had grown to nearly 50 pounds overweight during the fall, and Clark notes that the first overall pick from the 2019 draft "must lose weight in order to decrease the amount of force he puts on his right foot when he runs, cuts and jumps." Clark reiterated previous claims and explained that Williamson's injury makes it difficult for him to lose extra pounds and maintain what would be considered a suitable in-season weight. 

As Andy Bailey wrote for Bleacher Report, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said after last week's trade deadline he didn't "have enough information" regarding Williamson's potential return to action. At 23-35, New Orleans hopes to earn a spot in the play-in tournament this spring, but this latest update suggests Williamson won't be part of the process anytime soon, if at all.