It wasn’t very long ago that the New Orleans Pelicans looked like the best team in the West. By early December, they had the best record in the conference and were surprisingly top 10 in both offense and defense.
Unfortunately, it has been a nosedive to the bottom ever since, as Zion has missed time with a hamstring injury that will reportedly keep him sidelined for weeks after the All-Star break.
But in an appearance on NBA Today Monday evening, Adrian Wojnarowski dropped another update on Zion that may be the most troubling one yet.
“The timeline for his return is very open-ended. After the All-Star break when he’s re-evaluated again, they’ll have a view at just how long it might be. But these hamstring injuries are tricky, I think when you’re doing the ramp-up on your way back there’s always a level of caution and not pushing too hard because you could have a setback. We saw that with Devin Booker earlier in the season. he had a first 29 games of the season and they were All-Star-worthy. He was voted a started, 60% from the floor. And of course 26 points a game… but they have to be prepared now to go another significant period without him in the lineup.”
.@wojespn says the timeline for Zion Williamson's return is "open-ended." ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/2swF1CFORZ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 13, 2023
As the season rolls on, it’s looking more mean more like Zion might not come back at all this season, which is pretty much what happened last year.
Zion Williamson’s Durability Continues To Be A Huge Concern
Before entering the NBA, fans were worried about Williamson’s ability to stay healthy. His weight, size, and freakish athleticism made for a dangerous combination, and we’re seeing its effects play out in real-time.
At this point, fans are wondering if Williamson will ever be able to play 60 of 70+ games in a season.
“I don’t think Zion Williamson is going to play 70+ games,” said former NBA player Eddie Johnson. “I’ve said this even before he got drafted. We’ve never seen a body this big, this explosive play this game. He puts so much torque on his body. His body is not built to play this game. It’s not. But he is very good at this game. And that’s why he plays it. But he’s going to pay a price, man. That was ugly right there, that was ugly, that was non contact… That tells me he has some tightness going on.”
Only time will tell how Zion’s career pans out, but the Pelicans aren’t going to get very far at all if he keeps missing half the season.
Sadly, this has been the story for the Pels since the Zion era began, and it’s hard to see how they overcome these challenges with their star-studded core missing more and more games each season.
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