When is Zion Williamson expected to return from injury?

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Know what you need to know about the injury of Zion Williamson, his present condition, and when he will return to the basketball court

The young player’s recent injury has the New Orleans Pelicans missing one of their dominant players on the court. Needless to say, the performance of Pelicans hasn’t been at the best and that too at the fresh start of this 2020-21 season.

Sadly, the Pelicans have had to start their season without Williamson on the court, but they know best to not rush the healing and rehabilitation process. Although doctors are pretty optimistic, Williamson will be able to join in soon, seeing the progression of his healing. But how did this fine player get injured in the first place? Also, did Zion Williamson suffer any major injuries in the past?

zion williamson injury
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – SEPTEMBER 27: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans speaks to members of the media during Media Day at Smoothie King Center on September 27, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Zion Williamson’s Recent Injury

Although Williamson had been hurt pretty bad and had to undergo a surgical procedure, most including his team were optimistic of his return before the start of the season.

The young 21-year-old player had gotten hurt off-court while working out before the summer league. He ended up with a right fractured foot which he had an operation for and is waiting for a full recovery and to be back on the court.

Williamson’s lower body strength is no mystery and his explosiveness is much needed to fire up the Pelicans. We do expect him to be back by somewhere in November, but an official update from David Griffin of the Pelicans says that there is no fixed timeline of when he’ll be up and running.

Especially since the player’s strength lies in his lower body mobility and explosiveness, it is best to let him heal to his fullest so that he can be back in full glamour. Moreover, the off-season rest has led to him gaining some weight and with the player’s history of weight gain, he’d need some time to get back to his basketball, ready for the court shape. But for now, he is on restricted movement especially since his injury is in his lower body.

Latest Update on his Injury

For now, Williamson is only on running and solo drills and is off of official practices. David Griffin accounts that there’ll be another re-evaluation in the near two weeks and until it is all-clear, he’ll remain off the court. Although there is no ‘fixed timeline’ of his return, a recent update on November 1 dates his return by the end of November or by the first week of December.

But on the bright side, the doctors have accounted that when he does return it’ll be a full 100% recovery which will in no way affect his performance or trouble his play. And we all are eagerly waiting to see the player surprise us in the future with his excellent sportsmanship.

Zion Williamson previous injuries

It hasn’t been very long since the 21-year-old has been playing official basketball, and sadly injuries to him are quite frequent. Despite being the No.1 overall pick in the NBA Draft of 2019, Williamson had been limited to 24 games in his rookie season (2019-2020).

Why? A torn right lateral meniscus for which Williamson had to undergo surgery.

Zion Williamson thumb sprain, April 2021: A thumb sprain kept Zion Williamson out for a handful of games in 2021. Nevertheless, Williamson came back and put a dominant performance.

Zion Williamson fractured left ring finger, May 2021: After coming back from the thumb sprain injury in April 2021, Zion went on to fracture his left ring finger in the next month of May. It was not a simple injury and Williamson was out for the rest of the NBA regular season.

Zion Williamson right knee soreness, August 2020: Zion Williamson missed the final two games of the Pelicans’ 2019-20 season due to right knee soreness.

Zion Williamson knee injury, Summer League 2019: Zion Williamson took knee to knee hit in the first half of an NBA Summer League game. After the knee injury, Williamson did not play the Summer League.;

Zion Williamson’s infamous knee injury in college 2019: It was an exciting matchup between Duke vs. UNC. 30 seconds into the game, Zion was done. His sheer force blew out his shoe! Subsequently, Williamson missed three weeks due to a knee sprain that was the result of the shoe blowout.

In high school also Zion Williamson suffered injuries. Williamson suffered a deep knee bruise in April 2017 that caused him to miss a few months of “AAU” ball.

Williamson also suffered a foot injury that caused him to miss a significant time during his senior year. He also missed the Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic as a prep player with a hand injury.

That is all we have on Zion Williamson injury and we can only hope he is soon up and running, dominating the court in his full glamor without further mishaps.

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