Zion Williamson cleared to participate in contact drills for Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson underwent offseason foot surgery, has missed the start of the 2021-22 NBA season and was ruled out for at least an additional two to three weeks back at the start of November. 

The Pelicans announced Tuesday that Williamson is cleared to take part in contact drills, specifically one-on-one workouts as he attempts to potentially return to full team workouts later this month. 

"Williamson will undergo further medical imaging on Nov. 24, which will determine his availability for full team workouts," the club explained. "Additional updates will be provided on his anticipated return to play timetable accordingly." 

It's unclear when he'll make his season debut.

Williamson led the Pelicans with 27.0 points per game and a player efficiency rating of 27.17 for 2020-21 and has certainly been missed during a campaign that could be deemed a completely lost cause by the time he's able to play. Without him, the Pelicans have dropped to 2-13 this fall ahead of Wednesday's game at the Miami Heat. 

ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently reported he doesn't expect Williamson back until some time next month, barring any setbacks: