The New Orleans Pelicans have crept up the Western Conference standings in recent weeks. The team has won four in a row and six of its last 10, and after an absolutely wretched start to the season, they’ve managed to find themselves with the 10-seed in the Western Conference with the free falling Los Angeles Lakers only a half game ahead of them.
All of this has happened without the services of Zion Williamson, the former No. 1 overall pick who has been sidelined for the entirety of this season due to offseason foot surgery. The whole situation has been a bit odd, as the news of the surgery came out of nowhere in the preseason, his initial timeline indicated he’d be fine by the start of the year, and after a number of setbacks, the two sides mutually agreed for him to go rehab the injury away from the team in Portland.
Earlier this week, the Pelicans announced some good news, as Williamson’s foot is healing well and he can start progressing in his rehab. And now, according to Shams Charania and Will Guillory of The Athletic, Williamson will hop on a plane and head back to New Orleans to continue his rehab.
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
There is still no word on whether or not Williamson will be able to play this season.