It's not easy in the Big Easy for Zion Williamson who apparently is working through yet another injury.
Speaking at Media Day on Monday, Pelicans' executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin revealed that Williamson is still recovering from offseason surgery to repair a fractured right foot. Although Griffin said that Williamson should be ready by the start of the season, the unexpected injury revelation caught many by surprise and provides a reason for concern in New Orleans.
MORE: Top 50 storylines entering the 2021-22 season
Zion Williamson's injury history
So far in two seasons, Williamson has struggled to stay on the floor, battling a series of ailments that predates even his time at Duke. Williamson missed several months during high school due to a minor knee injury sustained from a fall.
The broken shoe incident heard round the world at Duke resulted in a Grade 1 knee sprain that caused him to miss three weeks before he ultimately returned in time for the NCAA tournament.
After being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, Williamson took a shot to the knee just minutes into his NBA Summer League debut which forced the team to shut him down as a precaution.
Then during the preseason, he suffered a torn meniscus which kept him out of the lineup and delayed the start of his rookie season by four months. He made an instant impact upon returning but did miss the Pelicans final two games in the bubble due to right knee soreness.
His second season went better though he still missed 11 games due to two separate hand injuries. A sprained thumb caused him to miss three games in April, followed by a more serious fractured ring finger which forced him to miss the final two weeks of the season.
Through two seasons, Williamson has appeared in 85 of a possible 144 games.
How Zion Williamson's injury impacts this season
If all goes according to Griffin's plan, it shouldn't have a lasting impact. Williamson will be in the lineup and once again inflicting pain in the paint on all who dare step in the way.
But as we've seen since the moment New Orleans drafted the generational forward, things rarely go as planned.
Even if he does return in time for the season, Williamson's recovery throws a wrench into the Pelicans' preseason preparation. Not only is New Orleans adjusting to yet another new coach in Willie Green, it also faces significant changes to the starting lineup. Most notably, Devonte' Graham takes over for Lonzo Ball as the starting point guard while Jonas Valanciunas slots in alongside Williamson at center, taking the place of Steven Adams.
Williamson operates as the hub for everything that New Orleans does offensively and missing precious time during an abbreviated training camp puts the Pelicans squarely behind the eight ball.
MORE: Over/under projection for Pelicans and rest of NBA
Pressure is starting to build for Griffin who surely does not want Williamson to sour on the franchise as Anthony Davis once did. Already, there are rumblings that Williamson's family wants him out of New Orleans, and in SN's offseason grades, New Orleans received a D thanks in part to an uninspiring string of moves that doesn't change its trajectory in any meaningful way. And that was BEFORE the revelation of Williamson's offseason surgery.
Even with two extra spots up for grabs with the play-in games both in the bubble and last season, the Pelicans missed the playoffs in each of Williamson's first two seasons. They enter the season with an over/under of 38.5 wins according to Fanduel, 10th in the Western Conference.
The Pelicans open their season on Oct. 20 at home against the Philadelphia 76ers.
