Zion Williamson now to miss ‘multiple’ weeks with hamstring injury after setback
Zion Williamson hasn't played for the Pelicans since first injuring his hamstring on Jan. 2.
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson will be out well past the All-Star break with his latest injury.
Williamson will miss “multiple” weeks due to a hamstring injury, Pelicans vice president David Griffin said Sunday. Williamson apparently re-aggravated his injury while gearing back up to return just after the All-Star break later this month. There is no specific timeline for his return.
"I think we're looking at multiple weeks past the All-Star break that he'll be back," Griffin said, via ESPN’s Andrew Lopez. "What that looks like in terms of timeline, I really can't tell you. Much as we have throughout this, we'll continue to image him and post-All-Star that will happen."
Williamson hasn’t played since Jan. 2, when he first injured his hamstring after pulling up limping while pushing the ball up the court against the Philadelphia 76ers. He was just set to miss three weeks, but it’s now been well over a month.
Williamson was voted a starter in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, but the team announced last week that he wouldn’t participate in that game or any of their games until after the break.
While Williamson has dealt with several significant injuries throughout his career already, including missing all of last season with a foot injury, he was progressing well. He had started three-on-three work recently, too — though that’s apparently when the latest setback happened. Williamson is taking the news hard, too.
"It's fair to say not terribly well because he was really diligent in his rehab and in the process,” Griffin said, via ESPN. “Unfortunately this is an injury that has a really high incidence of recurrence. It's nothing he did wrong to bring this about. He was very diligent in the process and it just is what it is."
Williamson has averaged 26 points and seven rebounds in 29 games this season, his fourth with the Pelicans. The 22-year-old signed a five-year max extension with the Pelicans before the season started.
The Pelicans have lost 14 of their last 20 games without Williamson in the lineup, which has sent them plummeting down the Western Conference standings. They lost 10 straight games at one point, too, but have won three of their last four heading into Monday’s game at the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pelicans currently hold a 29-28 record, 10 games back from the Denver Nuggets.
