New Orleans Pelican force forward Zion WilliamsonHe’s back in town after spending nearly two months in Portland rehabilitating his injured foot away from the team, sources told ESPN Saturday.
Williamson, who fractured a fifth metatarsal in his right foot over the summer, will return to the team next week. Sources told ESPN that Williamson will not travel with the team initially for the games against Denver and Memphis.
On Wednesday, the Pelicans announced that Williamson’s broken right foot was showing signs of improvement. The sources added that although he is staying abroad indefinitely, he is now ready to take the next step in his rehabilitation process with the team. Williamson has not yet progressed to the point where he can train, but he will be working towards it under the supervision of the Pelican crew.
Williamson has yet to play this season and has made only 85 appearances in his NBA career.
Without Williamson, the Pelicans advanced to the championship. After the season started 3-16, New Orleans has since been 24-20 and has taken the 10th place in the Western Conference standings.
New Orleans is half a game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for 9th. Since they traded CJ McCollum Just before the trading deadline, the Pelicans went 5-4 but are riding a four-game winning streak.