UPDATED 10/21/19, 5:00 p.m. ET: Per multiple reports, Williamson underwent surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus. According to the team, that injury will keep the No. 1 overall pick from making his league debut for 6-to-8 weeks.
See original story below.
Zion Williamson is expected to spend the opening weeks of his rookie season nursing a knee injury, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
This follows the news that the Pelicans elected to keep Williamson in New Orleans as the team heads to New York to square off against his former teammate RJ Barrett and the Knicks. At the time, it was reported that Zion would be sitting out due to right knee soreness. He then underwent more tests which resulted in the diagnosis that Wojnarowski revealed.
The extent of Williamson's injury is unclear. It's assumed the Pelicans are merely being overly cautious to protect their top asset. This approach was on display during Summer League. After suffering a bruised left knee, the team elected to shut Williamson down for the remaining games.
Williamson also suffered a mild right knee sprain after his shoe gave out during his time at Duke. New Orleans could be considering this previous injury when deciding to ease him into NBA competition. On the bright side, Williamson did not miss any training camp sessions and was seen walking around the facilities.
