New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson is out of action after the All-Star break due to his latest injury.
Williamson will miss “several” weeks with a hamstring injury, Pelicans vice president David Griffin said Sunday. Williamson has apparently aggravated his injury yet again as he prepares to return straight from the All-Star break later this month. There is no specific date for his return.
“I think a few weeks after the All-Star break, he’ll be back,” Griffin said. via Andrew Lopez of ESPN. “What it looks like in terms of schedule, I really can’t tell you. As we have done throughout this, we will continue to portray him after the All-Star Game, which will happen.”
Williamson hasn’t played since Jan. 2, when he first injured his hamstring after pulling himself up while limping while pushing a ball around the court against the Philadelphia 76ers. He was supposed to miss three weeks, but it’s already been over a month.
Williamson was selected as a starter for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, but the team announced last week that he would not be in that or any of their games before halftime.
Although Williamson has already had several serious injuries throughout his career, including missing all of last season with a foot injury, he has progressed well. Recently, he also began to work three by three – although, apparently, it was then that the last failure occurred. Williamson also took the news hard.
“It’s fair to say it’s not great because he’s been very diligent in his rehab and in the process,” Griffin said. via ESPN. “Unfortunately, this is an injury that has a very high recurrence rate. He did nothing wrong to cause it. He was very diligent in the process and that’s just what it is.”
This season, Williamson averaged 26 points and seven rebounds in 29 games, his fourth most with the Pelicans. The 22-year-old signed a maximum five-year extension with the Pelicans before the start of the season.
The Pelicans have lost 14 of their last 20 games without Williamson on the roster, sending the Western Conference standings plummeting. They also lost 10 games in a row at one point, but won three of their last four ahead of Monday’s game at the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pelicans currently hold a record 29-28, 10 games behind the Denver Nuggets.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
