The return date continues to fade away with Zion Williamson, New Orleans struggles for rankings
The New Orleans Pelicans have announced that All-Star player Zion Williamson will be out for at least two more weeks due to a hamstring strain. The medical team said Zion had undergone a recent scan, which showed he was making progress but still needed more time to recover.
Zion Williamson last played on January 2 in the Pelicans match against the Philadelphia 76ers. In an attempt to deploy the ball quickly, the bigman born in 2000 slipped and fell in pain. He was taken to the dressing room and rested for the rest of the game.
Initial scans showed Williamson had a hamstring strain and was expected to be out for three weeks. This is a number that is already very positive for Zion, who often has to take long-term breaks because of injuries.
Due to the fact that the recovery process has been slow, plus a minor injury that occurred in early February, Zion Williamson has been out of action until now.
This injury has extended Zion Williamson's total time away from the football field. Since being selected by first turn at the 2019 NBA Draft, the 23-year-old bigman has been absent for more than two-thirds of the Pelicans' games.
When Zion plays, he remains a true superstar, averaging 26 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 29 appearances since the start of the season. Thanks to Williamson's good form, the New Orleans Pelicans started the season extremely well and was at one point ranked first in the West.
But as soon as Zion was injured, New Orleans' form immediately plummeted. Currently, the Pelicans are on the edge of the play-in group with a 32-34 record, with more than twice as many losses as won since the beginning of 2023.
The Regular Season is only a month away, so the New Orleans Pelicans are facing a difficult decision. One is for Zion to come back soon and do his best to compete in rankings.
The second is to monitor the team's win-lose situation, then consider giving Zion Williamson a full season break if the Pelicans are no longer able to compete for play-in tickets.
