(New Orleans) Zion Williamson received a biologic injection to help heal the bone in his right foot that he fractured during the offseason.
The Pelicans, who announced the new treatment to their franchise player on Thursday, said Williamson would be “limited to limited impact and partial physical load activities for an extended period.”
Another round of imagery at Williamson’s foot is due in four to six weeks, the New Orleans team said. At that time, there will be an update on his health status.
The Pelicans added that the injection was given following a consultation with doctor Richard Ferkel on Wednesday at the Southern California Orthopedic Institute.
The additional treatment came six days after the Pelicans announced last Saturday that Williamson had experienced a “regression” to his surgically repaired right foot, further delaying his return to play.
It was Williamson’s second step backwards since being given the green light to participate in regular five-on-five training at the end of November. When he was about to take part in his first full training of the season on December 2, the team announced that they wanted him to rest instead due to further pain in his foot.
At the time, rookie head coach Willie Green explained that the organization was cautious about Williamson’s recovery “because we were talking about a player’s career.”
The Pelicans started the season 9-21 without Williamson, but after posting a 2-14 record, the Louisiana squad have gone 7-7 in their last 14 games.
Williamson, who was the first overall pick in the 2019 draft, appeared in just 24 games in his rookie season with a right knee injury suffered in the preseason. In his second season in the NBA, he appeared in 61 of his team’s 72 games, scoring 27 points per game.