If it was not for bad luck, he would not have any luck at all. It may be time to push the panic button as the injuries continue to mount for New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson, as a hamstring injury will put him on the shelf for the foreseeable future.
New Orleans announced on Saturday that Williamson was diagnosed with a strained hamstring that will keep him out indefinitely.
Williamson has already been in street clothes and not available for four of the Pelicans’ first 10 games this season due to an assortment of ailments. He sat out Game 1 of the 82-game marathon due to an illness before taking the court in five consecutive games.
A hamstring injury kept Williamson out of action in three of the last four contest, including Friday’s loss to the Orlando Magic, who was playing without their All-Star and fellow Duke Blue Devil Paolo Banchero. Hamstring issues are turning into the norm for the two-time All-Star, and losing 25-30 pounds seems like it has not alleviated the problem.
It was a hamstring injury that soured what had been the best game of Williamson’s NBA career against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the play-in tournament in 2023. He was a man amongst boys, scoring 40 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 37 minutes before suffering the injury in the fourth quarter.
Williamson wound up missing the second play-in game against the Sacramento Kings and the entire first-round series loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This Pelicans season is off to a rocky start and is in danger of being ruined by injuries to key players.
Embed from Getty Images
Dejounte Murray suffered a fractured hand in the season opener against the Chicago Bulls that will keep him out for at least four to six weeks.
Losing Williamson for an extended period of time again leaves the Pelicans without a lot of creative playmakers on the offensive end of the floor. The 24-year-old South Carolina native ranks second on the team in scoring average (22.7), tied for first in rebounding (8.0) and second in assists (5.3).
Williamson’s injury is the latest for a struggling Pelicans team that was missing six of its top eight scorers, including Murray, Trey Murphy III, CJ McCollum and Jordan Hawkins, against the Magic. Forward Herb Jones has also been out of the lineup due to a shoulder injury.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will likely remain in the starting lineup for head coach Willie Green until Williamson can return.
The Pelicans, who have dropped four in a row and seven of their past eight games, are off until Monday night, when they host Cam Thoman and the Brooklyn Nets.
