The New Orleans Pelicans were on a terrific run before suffering a loss against the Los Angeles Clippers in their lone-game homestand. Now, the team travels to California to kickstart their five-game road trip against the Sacramento Kings. While the contest between the two Western Conference franchises promises to be an exciting one, fans are worried as Zion Williamson is added to the injury report ahead of the clash.
Advertisement
Zion Williamson had an extremely solid contribution to the New Orleans Pelicans’ four-game win streak. While shooting the ball at a high efficiency, the 6ft 6” star recorded 21 points per game. However, he was unable to help the team clinch a win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
With 8:24 remaining in the third quarter, Williamson sustained a right quad contusion. Before being ruled out of the remainder of the contest, the southpaw put up 12 points and six rebounds.
Fans of the Louisiana side will not be pleased to learn that their star forward has been added to the team’s injury report. While Jose Alvarado is among the four players set to miss out on the clash, Zion Williamson is listed to be “questionable”.
Zion Williamson is questionable, Jose Alvarado is out for Sunday’s game in Sacramento#Pelicans | @MorrisBartLLC https://t.co/RgH4HfTWcc
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 6, 2024
Zion Williamson is having a subpar campaign despite being injury-free
Over the first few seasons of his career, Zion Williamson proved to be a sensational talent when healthy. When taking on the floor, the former Duke Blue Devil would dominate the paint. However, having an injury-riddled start to his campaign, Zion wasn’t able to live up to his full potential.
For the large part of this 2023-24 campaign, the 23-year-old has been free of any major injuries. Despite suiting up for 30 out of the team’s 36 regular season games, Williamson’s numbers have been mediocre at best. Moreover, there have been multiple criticisms about his physique and fitness in the league, and several analysts have raised their concerns.
Playing for a little more than 30 minutes per game, the highflyer is recording career lows in points per game (21.8), rebounds per game (6), and field goal percentage (58.2%). When he first entered the league back in 2019, a vast majority of analysts believed that Zanos would be in the MVP contention by his fifth professional campaign. Much to everyone’s surprise, as things stand, it seems highly unlikely that Williamson will even suit up for the All-Star Game.
