How does Zion Williamson's injury spark concern about his career with New Orleans Pelicans?
Zion Williamson's injury issues have started to become a serious concern. Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans looked like the team to beat in the Western Conference this year. That was until their superstar forward suffered another injury.
Williamson has been one of the most unique talents in the league throughout his four years in the NBA. Unfortunately, injuries have cast a dark cloud over his success on the court. While Williamson has been in the league since 2019-20, he's only played a total of 114 games in four years.
After missing time with a hamstring injury, Williamson recently re-aggrevated his injury. The New Orleans Pelicans reported that Williamson is expected to miss "multiple weeks" after the 2023 NBA All-Star break.
Appearing on Undisputed, analyst Shannon Sharpe was asked how much the Pelicans can trust the health of their 22-year-old superstar. Sharpe said:
"It's a lower number than 0. They should have zero confidence that Zion will be healthy for the rest of his career."
On a scale of 1-10, how much can the Pelicans trust Zion Williamson's health?
"It's a lower number than 0. They should have zero confidence that Zion will be healthy for the rest of his career." — @ShannonSharpe https://t.co/5SyrecsWy8
Zion Williamson's injury causing Pelicans to slide down standings
The New Orleans Pelicans rolled the dice on a bit of a gamble this past offseason. They rewarded their rising star Zion Williamson with a hefty five-year max extension worth at least $193 million.
Considering Zion Williamson's injury history, it was a risk but the upside felt too intriguing to pass up on. Zion had another sensational start for the Pelicans. He's averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 60.8% from the field.
Breaking: Zion Williamson re-aggravated his hamstring injury, and he's looking at missing multiple weeks. He will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break, per GM David Griffin. https://t.co/GLiKwFSfGl
When Zion is on the court, the Pelicans have shown the potential to be one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA. Without him in the lineup, the Pelicans have been inconsistent. After finding themselves at 26-17 at one point this year, New Orleans went on to lose 10 straight games. As of now, they find themselves at 30-28 on the year with an upcoming showdown against the LA Lakers up next.