On Wednesday, Zion Williamson returned to action after a two-game absence due to hamstring and quad issues and put on a show against the Cavaliers, as he finished the game with 29 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. However, his spectacular display wasn’t enough, as the Pelicans lost 131-122. To make matters worse, the forward suffered another injury, which has jeopardized his participation in their upcoming game against the Magic.
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Williamson seemingly tweaked his hamstring while guarding Sam Merrill and intentionally fouled the Cavaliers star before stomping off to the locker room. He returned to the game and had an impactful fourth quarter, but his ailment has seemingly gotten worse since.
Here’s the clip of Zion fouling and walking to the back. pic.twitter.com/YqjVYhIyGR
— Christian Clark (@cclark_13) November 7, 2024
In the NBA’s latest injury report, Williamson’s status for the Pelicans’ game on Friday night against the Magic has been listed as questionable. The injury has been officially diagnosed as a left hamstring tightness.
There are no concrete reports on whether he’d play in Orlando but given his injury history, it’s unlikely that the Pelicans will field him and risk aggravating his hamstring issue.
Williamson’s absence would be a massive blow for a team that is yet to find its footing this season. They are 3-6 and sit second to last in the Western Conference standings. However, it’s worth noting they’ve been decimated by injuries.
Besides Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Jordan Hawkins, and CJ McCollum are also injured, while Trey Murphy III is questionable for the game against Magic as well.
The Pelicans hoped that the forward and Brandon Ingram would lead them to victory over Orlando, who will be without star forward Paolo Banchero. However, Williamson’s likely absence significantly decreases New Orleans’ odds of securing a road win over the Magic.
What promised to be an exciting campaign for the Pelicans and fast dwindling into a nightmare and there’s little the coaching staff and the front office can do to address it.
