New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green offered some clarity regarding superstar Zion Williamson's injury status on Monday, telling reporters that Williamson will need to go through a set of scans in two to three weeks to determine if he can participate in 5-on-5 work.
Zion Williamson
| Team: |
New Orleans Pelicans |
| Position: | SF, PF |
| Age: | 21 |
| Height: | 201 cm |
| Weight: | 129 kg |
| Birth place: | North Carolina, United States of America |
The 5-on-5 drills would be the last step before determining if he could return to action.
Williamson, 21, has been able to return to simple, 5-on-0 workouts and will be traveling with the team on road trips after the latest scans on his fractured right foot encouraged team doctors enough to let him participate in light drills.
"He's progressing ... He's cutting. He's doing explosive work. He's running," Green said. "He's getting closer and closer.
"It's just one of those injuries where we want to be really diligent, especially with the foot, of being careful when we put him back on the floor at full go."
Williamson suffered the injury early in the offseason, with the Pelicans revealing it in late September with an optimistic estimate on his return. In mid-October, the team announced instead that Williamson would be scanned and reassessed in a couple of weeks.
"His timeline should get him back on the court in time for regular season -- that would be our hope and our view," Pelicans general manager David Griffin said at the time.
A member of the All-Rookie team and a 2021 All-Star, Williamson has shown rare explosiveness and scoring ability around the hoop. For his career, he has shot 60.4 percent from the floor and averaged 25.7 points per game.
The issue has been staying healthy. As a rookie, Williamson appeared in only 24 of the Pelicans' 72 games. Last year, he played in 61 of 72 games.
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