Report: Important update on Zion Williamson’s injury status, location

Former Duke star Zion Williamson is returning to New Orleans after spending time in Portland, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The Pelicans forward has missed the entire 2021-22 season thus far with a lingering foot injury and continues to make progress in his rehab.

After multiple setbacks kept the third-year player out of the lineup, Zion Williamson and the Pelicans made the mutual decision that a change in location could benefit his rehab process. They subsequently sent him to Portland and waited for improvement before brining him back to the team facilities.

The decision to bring Zion Williamson back to New Orleans comes after a month of controversy and discussion about the future while in another location. As the young franchise cornerstone has put in additional effort to engage with the team in recent weeks via social media and other channels, the Pelicans hope he can provide an additional boost in their effort to make the playoffs through the NBA play-in tournament.

More on Zion Williamson injury

The update on Zion Williamson from The Athletic comes just weeks after a far less optimistic report that he could require a second foot surgery for an offseason injury from NOLA.com’s Christian Clark.

The original recovery timeline called for a December return, but as the months came and went it became clear that would not happen. At one point, the Pelicans and Zion Williamson agreed he should move from New Orleans to Portland in order to continue his recovery from the foot injury.

“Last week, Griffin said Williamson will have another round of medical imaging done on his right foot either this week or next week,” Clark wrote about the next steps for the player and team.

A second procedure could hold out Williamson through the end of the 2021-22 season, taking a full season off his career.

“Williamson has been overweight for virtually all of his pro career, which has complicated the recovery process,” Clark added. “He must lose weight in order to decrease the amount of force he puts on his right foot when he runs, cuts and jumps. But it’s difficult for Williamson to lose weight without running, cutting and jumping.”

The third-year star has lost a significant portion of his young career to injuries, drawing criticism from fans and media about his commitment to keeping weight off. However, with a broken foot, the issue complicates itself as he attempts to stay active without aggravating the injury.