Recently, according to Pelican reporter Christian Clark, Pelicans player Zion Williamson may have undergone surgery again, it is reported that Zion should have returned to training in December, but his right foot appeared to be sore, and then he flew to Los Angeles to receive a right foot injection to help recover.
Last offseason, Zion underwent right foot repair surgery, the initial news was that Zion can come back at the beginning of the regular season, but as time progresses, the situation becomes more and more complicated, Zion injuries have recurred, and the return time is also pushed back.
Here, let's briefly list the timeline:
On September 27, 2021, David Griffin, president of Pelicans Basketball Operations, revealed that Zion had undergone surgery on his right foot and was expected to return at the beginning of the regular season
On September 28, 2021, Zion revealed in an interview that he expected to return in the opener
On October 14, 2021, the Pelicans announced that Zion was absent for 2 weeks due to a foot injury, and the return date was undecided
—— On October 20, 2021, the NBA regular season officially began
On November 2, 2021, Pelicans coach Willie Green revealed that Zion would be evaluated again in two weeks
On December 2, 2021, Zion suffered a sore right foot injury, and his comeback was postponed by another week
On December 8, 2021, Willie Green revealed that Zion was still receiving treatment and that there was no progress in injury
On December 12, 2021, the Pelicans announced that Zion's right foot continued to be sore and would stop basketball activities
On December 16, 2021, the Pelicans officially announced that Zion received a right foot injection to help speed up the recovery process, and is expected to be reviewed after 4 to 6 weeks
On December 23, 2021, Shams revealed that by all accounts, Zion would not be returning this season
— On January 5, 2022, the Pelicans announced that Zion was in a state of retirement and that he would remain in Portland to repair his right foot injury
Then, there is the news about Zion's possible surgery, the news said that there is no certainty that Zion will undergo surgery, but combined with the endless postponement of the comeback, injury repeated news, zion this season's probability of having surgery again is very likely, and the operation means another season reimbursement.
Injuries, injuries, injuries, this season about Zion, almost exclusively injuries.
In previous interviews, Zion had said that his injury was due to excessive force in training, but both the media and fans generally believed that Zion's injury came from his weight, and the fact was that Zion was injured with the fifth metatarsal, and this position was often under too much pressure to cause problems.
Weight is also a "pain point" that Zion has always been, as early as before entering the league, fans hoped that Zion could lose weight, but from the photos exposed this season, Zion looked not only not thin, but also gained a lot of weight - last offseason, some media revealed that Zion's weight reached 136 kg, you know, the peak Yao Ming's weight is only 140 kg, and Yao Ming's height is nearly 30 cm higher than Zion.
Repeated injuries and excess weight also make the outside world worry about whether Zion will become a parallel cargo like Auden.
Honestly, there is still a big difference between Zion and Auden, Auden has hardly ever been healthy, nor has he proved his strength in this league, but Zion is different, and healthy Zion is definitely a beast.
Last season, Zion played in a total of 61 games, averaging 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, shooting 61.1% from the field and 64.9% from the field, with excellent performance, Zion was successfully selected as an All-Star bench - the bench is different from the starter, and the selection is not popular, indicating that Zion's strength has been affirmed by the coaches.
Zion's offensive method is very simple and rough, that is, to break through to the basket hard, statistically speaking, Zion made a total of 1037 shots last season, of which 872 were made within 5 feet of the basket, with a shooting ratio of 84%, while 10 feet away, Zion only shot a total of 48 shots, which is enough to see how lethal he is.
Therefore, healthy Zion definitely has the possibility of becoming a league superstar or even a superstar, but the paradox is also that Zion's highlight is to some extent based on his weight, after all, he is not stronger than him, there are really few stronger than him, and this style of play has also led to his injury - like a double-edged sword, how to balance is the most critical.
Here, let's talk about pelicans.
The Pelicans have not been particularly good this season, losing 12 of their first 13 games and losing 16 of their first 19 games, but under Ingram's leadership, the Pelicans' record has returned to 23 wins and 35 losses, which was definitely a playoff result, but thanks to the chaotic situation in the West this year, the Pelicans actually retained the possibility of playoffs.
For this reason, the Pelicans will not hesitate to make a deal, the veteran CJ McCollum into the team, if Zion can come back, in fact, Ingram, he, CJ, Varan combination can definitely rush a playoff - of course, or health is more important, Zion's talent is absolutely there, but also proved that he is an All-Star, I hope he can get rid of the injury as soon as possible, healthy return.