Zion Williamson can't save the Pelicans for the 2021-22 season, it's time to prepare for the next / Zion Williamson won't save the 2021-22 Pelicans. It's time to prepare for what's next
Published: December 12, 2021 US time
Publisher: the Athletic
Article by William Gullory
Article translated by de Gaulle
In a season full of disappointment and bad luck, on the night of December 11, local time, the New Orleans Pelicans suffered another "critical hit", and perhaps the news that disappointed them the most.
After months of recuperation, Zion Williamson, who underwent foot surgery during the offseason, suffered from soreness again. According to the description given in the statement released by the team, this sudden situation will make Zion's comeback time "significantly delayed".
"After a sustained soreness in his right foot, Zion Williamson underwent a new physical examination that showed a regression in the healing process of the fifth metatarsal bone of his right foot," the Pelican wrote in an official statement, "and the result of this is that the intensity and frequency of his recovery training will be significantly reduced for some time to come, in order to help his bones heal further." After that there is definite news, which will further update his recovery from the injury. ”
Originally, around Zion's recovery problem, the Pelicans have recently been shrouded in a very positive mood. Because in mid-November, after a doctor's examination confirmed that Zion's foot fracture recovery was smooth, he was immediately released from the ban to participate in the team's confrontational training. Then a week later, he was allowed to participate in the team's 4-on-4 full-court practice. The recovery process can be said to be orderly, as long as Zion completes the 5-on-5 full-court training, it is not far from his return to the field.
As a result, on December 2, local time, a basin of cold water was poured on the pelican's head. The team announced on that day that Zion had developed a sore right foot during confrontational training. He was also immediately asked to stop training and leave the training ground. At the time, the team declared that Zion's recovery process had suffered "minor delays, but the situation was not serious". In the days that followed, the Pelicans did not have Zion train with the team.
However, in the past week or so, Zion's soreness in his right foot has not fundamentally improved, so the team arranged for him to have another injury examination, and then there was the situation found earlier, and that statement.
Through this statement, the fans can get a clear message that sore foot injuries continue to plague Zion. Judging from the current statement, and the pelicans' management's attitude in the past, the Pelicans will most likely not define Zion's "sore foot" as "injury again." And so far, there have been no reports that Zion needs medical treatment to solve his soreness. However, even if Zion's injury does not worsen, he still needs more time to recover and recuperate, which is definitely not good news for the Pelicans, who have been struggling since the start of the new season.
Of course, the Pelicans are very clear from top to bottom, that is, Zion's healthy body is the most important asset of the team, so the recovery time today is to accumulate wealth for the future of the team. However, 5 months have passed since he underwent surgery in July, and Zion has not yet had a clear comeback schedule, which inevitably makes people worry about him.
Since entering the league, Zion has played 85 regular season games for the Pelicans. Counting the 28 regular season games the Pelicans have played this season, zion's cumulative number of games missed since being selected by the Pelicans has reached 87. The number of games he has missed has exceeded the number of games he has played, and in the short term, the digital gap between the two will continue to widen.
The Pelicans, who had missed the playoffs for the past two years, made some changes this summer, such as replacing a new head coach. Their goal, of course, is to make the playoffs. Even if it is difficult to enter the playoffs as a top six in the West, it is at least necessary to reach the playoffs. But with the main player injured and the team's squad itself lacking depth, it's no surprise that it's now at the bottom of the West with an 8-20 record.
So, if Zion returns at some point in the season, can he help the Pelicans get up quickly? The answer to this question is naturally yes, and anyone who has watched zion will certainly be extremely impressed by his dominance on the field. In 61 games played last season, Zion averaged 27.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, shooting 61.1 percent from the field. Given Zion's age of 20 at the time, such figures have become more competitive and dominant.
Over the past two seasons, Zion has proven through his performances that he has the potential to become the league's top star. But the more hope he gave last season, the deeper the fears of his injuries will now be. After all, the league has seen too many young men with potential who end up at the foot of an injury and fail to cash in on their talents.
Of course, the NBA also has examples of high-level rookies who are plagued by injuries in the early days of entering the league. Joel Embiid, for example, has not played a single game in the first two seasons since he was drafted by the 76ers in 2014, and even in his first healthy season, 2016-17, he played only 31 games. In addition, Ben Simmons and Blake Griffin also missed the "champions" of the rookie season due to injury. But then, these high-ranking rookies have all come out of the impact of injuries and entered the All-Star team, becoming the pillar players of their respective teams.
Therefore, Zion can also regard these predecessors as his own example, actively overcome injuries, and strive to return to the field as soon as possible. And, the good news for Zion is that after starting his career, he suffered two major injuries that occurred in different parts of his body. In his rookie season, he injured his knee and now his right foot, which at least shows that he does not have an "old injury".
However, the pressure on Zion's heart is increasing day by day. Originally, before entering the league, Zion was already famous, and even Obama would go to the scene to watch the game in college. People saw him as the next future star, the next figure to rule the league. But what was once praised and praised can now become questionable or even denigrated.
At the same time, Zion also carries the burden of pelican revival on his shoulders. Before selecting Zion, the Pelicans traded the team's core Anthony Davis. Such a move could not be clearer, that is, to make Zion the face of the team, to lead the team to achieve results that have not been achieved before. But now that It's the third year zion has joined, the team is still not improving, and you can imagine how much pressure this is.
In addition, according to the provisions of the collective agreement, the rookies of the class of 2019, led by Zion, are eligible to negotiate an early contract extension with the team in the summer of 2022. This past summer, the top of the 2018 rookies, including Doncic, Trey Young, Alexander and Michael Potter Jr., have all received large contracts of more than $100 million. So next summer, the Pelicans will also give injuries and don't give the team too much of a good zion to offer the same offer? The pressure is not only on Zion's shoulders, but also on the Pelicans' management.
For the Pelicans, they seem to have been in a cycle of "constant hope and constant disappointment" over the past few seasons. Zion's injury this time is a repetition of those old chapters. So, it's time for the Pelicans to make some changes. They need to acknowledge some of the mistakes they've made in the past, take lessons learned, and then make targeted adjustments. For example, through the trade to bring in some players who match Zion's technical and tactical level, so that when Zion returns, he no longer needs to carry all the pressure of the team on his own.
At the same time, this accident may also give Zion a clearer understanding of his future. Zion needs to understand that despite his impressive basketball talent, a healthy body is the basis for him to cash in on those talents. If he can't maintain his physical health through training, then everything else will be a "castle in the air" for him. Previously, there were media reports that Zion's weight had reached 330 pounds, about 149.7 kilograms. Combined with his injuries today, Zion really needs to manage his body well.
So, whether it's for the Pelicans or Zion, they need to think hard about the future now. As long as they think and adjust, they will really have a future.