Report: Zion Williamson Expected to Return to New Orleans
According to a report by William Guillory and Sham Charania, Zion Williamson will return to New Orleans and resume basketball activities.
Williamson received rehabilitation on his broken right foot in Portland but suffered a setback in December. He received an injection and continued his workouts.
The Pelicans organization announced that Williamson was responding to the treatments and noticed bone healing of his right fifth metatarsal. His progress has been significant enough to start weight balancing and other basketball activities. The team listed a timeline for his exact return to the court as "indefinite."
Mar 4, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) is defended by Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (11) in the first quarter at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Nonetheless, the New Orleans Pelicans are one of the hottest teams in the league since the All-Star break. Coach Green has his team on a four-game winning streak by a 26.8 average margin of victory over opponents.
They are the only team in NBA history to win the first four games after the All-Star break by 15+ points. If they continue to move up the Western Conference standings, the team has positioned itself nicely for the NBA playoff play-in game.
New Orleans sits in 10th place and a half-game behind Los Angeles Lakers at the ninth spot.
The city and fans have a different buzz as the team appears to be jelling before the postseason.
Nov 5, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) sits on the bench during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Can you imagine the hype should Zion return for a potential playoff run?
We'll pump our brakes on that one as Zion will just be starting basketball activities with a little over 20 games remaining in the regular season. Not only would he need to be in physical shape, more importantly, but he would also need to be in basketball shape and return to be the dominant force he was last season. In 2020-21, Williamson scored 27 points per game at 61.1% from the hardwood.
The thought of incorporating Zion into a team playing their best basketball would create more Pelicans fever to spread across the entire region and NBA.
But New Orleans isn't a basketball town. Right?
