Zion Williamson injury leaves Pelicans without star for foreseeable future

Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson will miss substantial time after an MRI revealed a hamstring injury that he will be reevaluated for several weeks.

Few players in the NBA have been more fun this season than New Orleans Pelicans superstar big man Zion Williamson emerge as a true force in the league. Even more fun has been the success that his team has enjoyed because of it. And all this makes Tuesday’s news harder to swallow.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Williamson underwent an MRI and it was discovered that he’d suffered a hamstring strain. The injury will keep the Pelicans big out for several weeks before they reevaluate his status.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania offered a clearer timetable, saying Williamson will be reevaluated in three weeks.

Zion Williamson injury: Early timetable for Pelicans return

After missing all of the 2021-22 season due to a foot injury, Williamson had played in 29 games this season and looked dominant. With Brandon Ingram also sidelined, the top-overall pick from the 2019 draft had averaged 26 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game on 60+ percent shooting for the year.

More importantly, he’d helped guide New Orleans to a 23-14 start, good enough for the current No. 3 seed in the Western Conference entering Tuesday.

Ingram has recently started ramping up for his return, which could help the Pelicans, but losing a player of Williamson’s caliber will be tough to contend with. More concerning is that three weeks is not his timetable for return but, rather, his timetable to again have the injury evaluated before he returns. Given the setbacks suffered last season, that has to be troubling for fans to consider.

Given how much entertainment Zion Williamson has offered and the results he’s yielded this season, we can only hope that he heals quickly from this hamstring strain and is back on the floor as soon as possible and can stay that way.