New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson is reportedly not close to returning to the court as he continues to recover from a hamstring strain, per ESPN. Williamson has been out since Nov. 6 with the injury, but there was no firm timetable given on a return date for him. Now, though, the Pelicans are preparing for the possibility of him being out for at least another four-to-six weeks, according to the ESPN report.
Williamson has been undergoing treatment on his hamstring, the same one he injured during New Orleans’ Play-In game against the Lakers last postseason.
If Williamson is out until mid-December at a minimum, that is a significant blow to what’s been an incredibly tough season for the Pelicans. Not only is Williamson sidelined for an undetermined amount of time, but they’ve also been without Herbert Jones (strained right shoulder), Dejounte Murray (fractured left hand), CJ McCollum (strained right adductor), Trey Murphy III (hamstring strain) and Jose Alvarado (strained left hamstring) for large portions of the season.
That’s not even including the day-to-day injuries to guys like Jordan Hawkins and Brandon Ingram.
To say it’s been a disastrous season for New Orleans from an injury perspective is an understatement, and if Williamson is expected to miss at least a month, it puts the Pelicans in an even worse position to try and make up ground in an ultra-competitive Western Conference. The Pelicans currently sit at 4-13 on the season, the second-worst record in the West and fourth-worst overall. If they’re not expected to get most of these guys back in a timely manner, conversations about this team’s outlook for the rest of the season will need to be had.
It may still seem too early to seriously talk about tanking, but the Pelicans will not only have their own first-round pick, but also the Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round selection if it falls between Nos. 5-30. If we reach the end of December and New Orleans still has its top seven or eight players on the injured list, it may be time to consider getting into the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.