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New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson continues to sit out the season after having a number of setbacks as he recovers from a foot injury.
While Williamson continues to be sidelined by setbacks after offseason foot surgery, he's also drawn attention for other reasons. Reports have said Williamson has remained distant from the organization, even suggesting he may be unhappy with the franchise.
After New Orleans acquired guard CJ McCollum before the trade deadline, McCollum told TNT over the weekend that he had yet to hear from Williamson.
On ESPN's "NBA Today" on Tuesday, Malika Andrews said (and also tweeted) that McCollum told her he had since heard from Williamson. Andrews covered the Trail Blazers as a backup Associated Press reporter while at the University of Portland.
On ESPN's "First Take" on Tuesday, NBA analyst and former Pelicans teammate JJ Redick gave harsh thoughts about how Williamson is handling the situation.
"This is a pattern of behavior that we are seeing again and again with Zion," Redick said. "I was his teammate. I can describe him as a detached teammate."
A cloudy future for Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans
Although Zion Williamson is one of the NBA's most exciting young talents, he's struggled with injuries throughout his brief career. He played in only 24 games as a rookie after recovering from a knee injury. He then played in 61 of 72 games last season and was selected as an All-Star but missed the final seven games with a fractured left finger. He's missed all of this season.
The team surprisingly announced at media day in mid-October that Williamson had offseason foot surgery. At the time, he was expected to play by November. But since being cleared for team activities in late November, he has had a number of setbacks. There was supposed to be an update from the team in late January, but that has been delayed. Williamson is rehabilitating in Oregon with a private trainer.
There have been reports suggesting Williamson has continued to struggle with weight problems, which will draw red flags. The powerful player puts a lot of stress on his lower extremities, from blowing out shoes to suffering knee and foot injuries.
On Monday, the Pelicans sent out season-ticket renewal notices. Williamson was not mentioned in the advertisement. He was prominently mentioned the year before.
NBA analyst JJ Redick talked about the way that Williamson is handling himself as a part of the organization.
Redick, a 15-year veteran and a Duke product like Williamson, was a teammate of Williamson with the Pelicans. Redick said the understood protocol is for players to reach out to any new teammate. Redick, who emphasized that he is rooting for Williamson, said he found it strange that Williamson hadn't initially attempted to contact McCollum.
The situation involving the Pelicans and Williamson bears watching.
Guess the Lakers players!
