Now, the new-look New Orleans Pelicans will need to wait a bit longer to see what their face of the franchise looks like on the hardwood. Notably, breaking news late Monday from ESPN has Zion Williamson missing six to eight weeks. The reason for this is Zion has undergone arthroscopic knee surgery.
Obviously, the news comes as a shock; and a gut punch to fans of the sport with the new season kicking off in one day.
Breaking: Zion Williamson had arthroscopic surgery Monday to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee and is expected to miss six to eight weeks, the Pelicans say. pic.twitter.com/i9onj2tPCm
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 21, 2019
This is from the ESPN story on the report:
Coach Alvin Gentry said on Friday that he believed Williamson suffered the knee injury during the Pelicans’ preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs last Sunday.
Furthermore, Zion looks like he will be an immediate impact in the pro game. For example, in the preseason he averaged 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 71.4% in four games for New Orleans. All of this came while playing around 30 minutes a game, a sign that bigger things could be on the way with a heavier workload.
Nicolo Melli is a 28-year old backup who will probably get starts until Zion is able to return.
To make matters worse, the Pelicans open their season against the Toronto Raptors on national television (TNT) on the road. This is a terrible blow for the team to suffer, but more notably it’s a shot to the league because everyone is waiting on their toes to see what Zion has to offer as a young player.
Even those with mild interest in the sport know of Williamson because of his college career at Duke. He shined brightly during the NCAA tournament. Finally, we will see what Zion Williamson has to offer right around the holiday season if his recovery goes well. This eerily reminds me of the injury Ben Simmons suffered as a rookie that kept him out much of his first year before playing a single game.
