New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson He will be reassessed within 4-6 weeks after receiving an injection into his affected right foot, The team announced on Thursday. Williamson underwent surgery to repair a broken foot in the off-season, and since the bones haven’t healed properly, he still has to play in any games this season. Earlier this month, he was due to return to practice, but constant pain was getting in the way.

According to the Pelicans, Williamson will only be able to participate in “prolonged partial weight-bearing and low-impact activities.”

Williamson met with Dr. Richard Ferkel of the Southern California Orthopedic Institute in Los Angeles on Wednesday, per team, and then had a “biological injection at the fracture site to stimulate bone healing.” Verkel has evaluated and performed surgery on a long list of NBA players, including Joel EmbiidAnd Stephen Curry And Klay Thompson.

In the short term, this reduces New Orleans’ already slim odds of slipping into the playoffs. Without the franchise player, New Orleans went 9-21 on the season, with 26 best offensive, 26 best defense and 26 best net rating in the NBA. She has won six of her last 11 matches, however, and it is only 3.5 matches from the last place in play.

Viewed from another angle, the Pelicans are only 3.5 games ahead of the lead in the draft lottery. And since lottery odds are fixed for the three worst teams in the league, New Orleans doesn’t need to be at the bottom of the rankings. Just Oklahoma City ThunderAnd Detroit Pistons And Orlando Magic The Detroit Pistons are in a better position, tank-wise.

The optimistic perspective, then, is that the best Pelicans can do for Williamson’s future is be patient with his footing and draft another potential superstar next June. If you think about the big picture, note that Williamson has played in 85 of his potential 174 regular season games since they drafted him, and they’ve had a different coach in each of his three seasons. New Orleans needs to get him healthy, keep him healthy, and find some semblance of stability.