One of the bigger disappointments of the NBA so far this season has been the absence of Zion Williamson. The Pelicans big man had a lot of excitement around him entering the NBA following one of the greatest individual seasons in college basketball history at Duke. That season led to him being largely considered one of the best prospects the NBA has ever seen. Unfortunately, a meniscus tear suffered prior to the start of the regular season has kept him sidelined thru Christmas, with no firm timetable available for his return.
The Pelicans have felt his absence, going 9-23 to start the year and leaving fans everywhere begging for an update of some kind on his return. While they’ve been forced to wait, New Orleans is slowly starting to give new information on Williamson’s status. Williamson himself talked with ESPN about his injury and rehab and gave some interesting insight on why he’s been out as long as he has.
Williamson told Sedano that he “trusts the organization” in its decision-making, and he said his rehab process has been about more than just the recovery from surgery to repair the torn meniscus in his right knee.
Williamson, 19, said the Pelicans are also trying to teach him how to walk and run differently — working on the kinetic chain of his body.
For the average player, rehab is about keeping their body strong and a recovery effort that won’t lead to further damage. The Pelicans and Williamson, however, are taking this one step further by adding in work to avoid more injury in the future. Considering what Williamson is capable of this could be extremely important in the long run. It’s also possibly why he’s not playing right now, as Williamson told ESPN that if it were up to him he’d be on the floor.
If it were up to Zion Williamson, he already would have made his debut for the New Orleans Pelicans.
That’s what the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft told ESPN’s Jorge Sedano before the Pelicans’ 112-100 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
It makes sense that the Pelicans want to be cautious with a potential future star like Williamson. Players like him don’t come around every draft class and they have to make sure to not waste that. Allowing his career to be brought down by injuries would be a disappointment for not only them but basketball fans as a whole. We all want to see him on the floor succeeding and we’re all hopeful that he’ll be on the floor playing sooner rather than later.
