New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin expects Zion Williamson to be a full participant during the regular season as the forward continues to rebound from off-season surgery, ESPN reported Monday.
Griffin told reporters Monday that Williamson fractured his foot early in the offseason and had surgery shortly after, which kept him from participating in offseason activities. The 21-year-old power forward doesn’t have an exact timeline in place for his return, although the team is impressed with how he has progressed. As such, there is optimism Williamson will be ready for the regular season.
“That would be our hope and our view,” Griffin said. “And we’re very optimistic about what that looks like.”
Griffin added that head strength and conditioning coach Stan Williams has been helping Williamson throughout the rehabilitation process.
Williamson’s first two seasons in the league have been plagued with injuries, holding him to just 24 games during his rookie season and 61 during his sophomore campaign. However, the first overall pick from the 2019 draft has still been very productive, leading the Pelicans last season with 27 points per game and placing third on the team with a .611 shooting percentage, 7.2 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game.
