On Monday, the New Orleans Pelicans announced that Zion Williamson has been ruled out for at least six to eight weeks after undergoing knee surgery. He had a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee after complaining of soreness in the knee.
The 19-year-old basketball player is believed to have picked up the injury while playing against San Antonio Spurs on October 13.
Williamson’s injury has been a tough blow for the Pelicans as well as the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Considering the estimated time for his comeback, Williamson is expected to miss at least the first 20 games of the season. He may make a comeback in December.
Eleven of the Pelicans’ first 20 games have been scheduled to be aired by ESPN, TNT, or NBA TV.
Anthony Davis has returned to New Orleans with the Los Angeles Lakers on November 27.
The Pelicans opted to sit Williamson for Friday’s win over the New York Knicks after it was revealed that he had the knee injury.
On Friday, Pelicans’ coach Alvin Gentry said, “He [Williamson] is a smart enough player that, whenever he comes back, he’s going to be fine. I don’t see him falling behind. He’s very mature for a 19-year-old. He’s a great team guy. … He’s fine [mentally]. He’s not dead, guys. He’s upbeat. He has fun. He’s living his dream.”
Despite injury concerns, Williamson has widely been regarded as one of the favorites to win the 2020 rookie of the year.
In July, he banged his right knee with an opposing player while making his debut in Las Vegas Summer League for the Pelicans.
He is still considered a strong rookie of the year honors even though a loftier goal like an all-star appearance may now be out of reach for him. Well, Williamson is not the first player to have a serious knee injury before even making his NBA debut. In 2007, Greg Oden missed the entire rookie season after suffering from an injury to his right knee. In 2009, Blake Griffin also missed the entire rookie season with an injury to his left knee. In 2016, Ben Simmons was rested for his first season with an injury to his right foot.
