Zion Williamson reportedly cleared for basketball activities, returning to Pelicans
We're one step closer to seeing Zion Williamson back on a basketball court again.
According to Shams Charania and Will Guillory of The Athletic, Williamson has been cleared to start basketball activities and will be returning to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Pelicans’ Zion Williamson is returning to New Orleans after spending time in Portland for his foot rehab, sources tell me and @WillGuillory. Williamson is cleared to progress in basketball activities. Pelicans have won four straight games and are in playoff race.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 5, 2022
This is great news for Williamson, the Pelicans and fans. Just a few weeks ago, it was reported that Williamson might need a second surgery. Now, just like that, he's back on track to possibly appear in a game before the end of the season. And with the Pels surging into a play-in position in recent days, news of Williamson's possible return couldn't come at a better time.
Zion out since last year
Williamson hasn't appeared in an NBA game since May 4, 2021. Right before summer league during the offseason, Williamson fractured his foot, which required surgery. The Pelicans revealed this near the end of September 2021, and they said they hoped he'd be back in time for the regular season. He wasn't back in time for that, but he was making progress. By the middle of November he'd been cleared for one-on-one workouts, and by the end of the month he'd been cleared for full basketball activities.
But that's when Williamson stopped progressing forward and started moving backward. Just five days after being cleared for full basketball activities, he experienced soreness in his surgically repaired right foot. The soreness persisted and he was shut down from all basketball activities. He eventually got an injection in his foot, but by early January the Pelicans said that Williamson wasn't even rehabbing with the team — he was rehabbing in Portland, Oregon. while still under the team's care.
Then we stopped hearing about Williamson for awhile — though we did find out that he and C.J. McCollum, the Pels' newest acquisition, hadn't even spoken since he'd joined the team. We also found out that Williamson's foot was continuing to have healing issues. Near the end of February, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that he may need a second surgery on his right foot, which would almost certainly put him out of commission for the rest of the season.
Which is why Saturday's news is such a welcome and unexpected surprise. With setback after setback, no one really expected to see Williamson at all this season, so finding out that he's closer than ever to coming back is exciting. Williamson may need time to shake off the rust and get back up to speed, but that version of Zion is miles better than an injured Zion.
