Another surgery? Zion Williams may become the next Oden ! The Pelicans' playoffs are basically out of the blue!
As we all know, Greg Oden, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, was named Oden the Great when he first entered the league. He was also considered the epoch-making center who ruled the league in the next ten years and the soul of the revival of Portland Trail Blazers . For Oden, the Portland Trail Blazers even missed the first major attack weapon in the league that will kill all sides in the future Kevin Durant ! But at that time, with Oden's unparalleled talent and inside dominance, it was really difficult to make Trail Blazers give up Oden's choice of Durant . After all, the healthy Oden Great is an inside beast that is enough to rule both the offense and defense. But this inside beast did not realize his talent in the league certificate in the end, not because his talent had a false reputation, but that his injuries completely destroyed everything like his epoch-making center!
Now, the New Orleans Pelicans forward and 2019 No. 1 pick Zion Williams also encountered similar injuries at the beginning of Oden's career, and the repeated injuries have also made Zion Williams an absolute old patient! This inevitably reminds him of the former Emperor Oden. If Zion is the next Greg Oden, he will end his career in a hurry. Zion and Oden's resumes are quite similar. He holds the golden key when he first entered the league. He is also considered the strongest No. 1 pick after James , the next storied figure to dominate the league, and another " LeBron James ".
In a blink of an eye, Zion has entered his third season of his career, but this season he can only watch the Pelicans fight against friends on the field in the injury seat, but he can only hang the free battle card! So far, Zion Williams has only played 86 games for the Pelicans in his past career, and has missed far more than 86 games. This means that most of Zion's career has actually been spent in injury seats!
According to previous reports, the Pelicans hope that Zion Williams can return from injury at the end of this season and help the team compete for playoffs . In order for the team to have more playoff impact, they successfully introduced the former Trail Blazers 2 McCollum through trading on the trading deadline. The Pelicans' intention to make this move clear, that is, to let veteran McCollum help the team to fully compete for the Western Conference playoff tickets! So far, the Pelicans have only achieved a record of 23 wins and 35 losses in the West, and have been 5 wins behind the West by eighth. It can be said that the situation in the playoffs is extremely bad!
However, there is even worse news than this that their No. 1 forward Zion Williams is almost a foregone conclusion for the season! According to Pelicans reporter Christian Clark, sources said that Zion Williams may need another surgery on his right foot, but the plan has not been determined yet. Zion was supposed to start training in December last year, but his right foot felt pain again and had to go to New York for injection.
There is no doubt that when Zion Williams stays healthy, he is definitely a big insider killer, and his opponent is hard to stop. It is a major nuclear weapon for the Pelicans to attack the playoffs! But what is heartbreaking now is that it is difficult for Zion to be healthy for a long time, which makes the Pelicans' playoff hopes very slim! Once Zion undergoes surgery again, he will not only be reimbursed for the season, but may even affect the game early next season. This not only casts a shadow on the Pelicans' playoff prospects this season, but also affects them to make the playoffs next season!
It is no exaggeration to say that the Pelicans have basically withdrawn from the competition for playoff tickets this season. Because without Zion in the inside, it will be difficult for the Pelicans to make a fortune in the Wild West. After all, it is more difficult to win a playoff ticket than to reach the sky!
