Pelicans' Zion Williamson to miss start of season after foot surgery

Back on Sept. 27, New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said during the team's media day session that star forward Zion Williamson had undergone surgery to repair a fracture in his foot he suffered early into the offseason but should be good to go for the start of the regular season next week. 

Fans will have to wait a little longer for Williamson to make his 2021-22 debut. 

Per the Pelicans' website, Griffin confirmed Thursday that Williamson will be sidelined at least two-and-a-half weeks as he works to recover from this latest issue. 

"Zion underwent imaging (Wednesday) on his right foot," Griffin explained. "(Doctors) who reviewed those images were very encouraged by the healing evidence there. They are very optimistic he will recover from this, and they have cleared him to continue his progression. The next step for him now will be running and on-court individual work." 

Griffin added "there is no fixed timeline" for when Williamson will return to the lineup. 

"As he continues along his return-to-play progression, doctors will be using additional imaging that will take place two to two-and-a-half weeks from now, as guides and landmarks for taking the next steps," Griffin continued. "It’s everyone’s goal that Zion return to play as soon as is safely possible."

Griffin's positive update is that Williamson has suffered no additional setback in his recovery. 

According to ESPN stats, Williamson led New Orleans for the 2020-21 campaign with 27.0 points per game and a player efficiency rating of 27.17.