The last few weeks have been very difficult for the New Orleans Pelicans. They have been playing without NBA All-Star Zion Williamson, who is dealing with a hamstring strain that was re-aggravated before the All-Star break.
The last time that Williamson appeared in a game was January 2nd and the team has been torpedoed since. The Pelicans are 7-18 in the most recent stretch without Williamson, dropping from near the top of the Western Conference standings to barely holding on to a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
The only teams that have performed worse than the Pelicans in that stretch are the Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. The Pacers were also without an All-Star for a stretch of time in Tyrese Haliburton. The other three teams came into the season with their eyes on Victor Wembanyama.
While Williamson is going to be sidelined for a little longer, the team at least received a positive update this week. He is continuing to make progress and more updates will be provided next week when he goes for his next round of imaging.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft has appeared in only 29 games thus far this season. Unfortunately for him and the Pelicans, that can be seen as an improvement as he missed the entire 2021-22 campaign. It is also more games than he played in during his rookie season when he made only 24 appearances.
In his 29 games this season, Williamson has remained a force. He is averaging 26 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 33 minutes per game.
If the Pelicans want to have any hope of turning their season around and making some noise in the postseason, they are going to need Williamson in the lineup and playing at a high level. With him in the lineup, the Pelicans are 17-12. Without him, they are only 13-20.
More must-reads: