The New Orleans Pelicans have not played a single game with Zion Williamson in the lineup in each of the games they’ve played so far in the 2021-22 NBA season. With only two regular-season games remaining and the play-in, will he return before it’s all over?
During an appearance on “The Jordy Culotta Show,” an online show based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Zion Williamson’s stepfather, Lee Anderson, shared some insight into where the Pelicans superstar is at in his recovery.
Anderson expressed that it’s ‘tough’ to answer if Williamson will play before the end of the season, but he ‘certainly’ expects him to play at some point before the Pelicans are done playing.
“I expect him to play. If you were to ask Zion, I’m sure he would probably say the same thing,” Anderson said. “But with just a couple of games left, with the magnitude of what’s going on in New Orleans and the opportunity to qualify for the play-in game and possibly get into a seven-game series, that would be off the charts in the city of New Orleans. That would be a plus in New Orleans. That would be a plus for Zion with the way things are right now.”
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“Do I expect him to play? Certainly I do. That’s on me, though. That’s purely me. I don’t think there’s anything else that would hinder him from doing that right now.”
The long-term is what remains the focus for both Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. Anderson expressed how Williamson is ‘feeling great’ and that it’s important to take advantage of the ‘moment at hand.’
“He’s feeling great,” Anderson said. “Speaking for the Pelicans staff, and not saying any names, they mentioned to me that they are just one player away from being where we need to be at. That was enough for me to know that they are putting some stock in Zion getting healthy and being ready for the long haul.
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“But my thing with the long haul, you have to wait on it. The short haul, sometimes when you’re faced with an opportunity right now, you never know when you’re going to be presented with that opportunity again in the long haul or how long it’ll be from that time. I’m a guy that believes in taking advantage of the moment at hand. Let’s deal with it right now and let’s go forward and see what happens.”
There’s been no shortage of ups and downs with the reporting associated with Zion Williamson’s recovery and projected return timelines to the New Orleans Pelicans’ lineup.
