What happened to Zion Williamson? David Griffin gives new update on New Orleans player
New Orleans Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has given an update regarding Zion Williamson's injury status.
Following Williamson's latest evaluation regarding his right hamstring injury (which he sustained against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 2), Griffin revealed that the star player would continue his rehabilitation. Here's what Griffin said in full (via NBA.com):
“After further evaluation, it has been determined that Zion Williamson will continue his rehabilitation and conditioning regimen. We will continue to monitor his progression and updates will be provided as warranted.”
The timeline for Williamson's return remains unavailable for now. The former No. 1 pick has had an injury-riddled first few years in the NBA. Williamson played only 24 games during his rookie season after missing most of the year with a knee injury. He played 61 in his sophomore year out of 72 games in 2020-21, missed the entire 2021-22 season with a broken foot, and returned to play 29 out of 80 games this year.
The New Orleans Pelicans looked solid in Zion Williamson's presence. He averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists, shooting 60.8%. The Pelicans were 23-14 before he was sidelined due to a right hamstring problem. They seemed like a lock to finish as a top-six seed but have fallen into the play-in bracket, posting a 41-39 record at the time of writing.
The Pelicans have been on a roll lately, winning eight of their last 10 games, so they might look to keep Williamson out for a bit longer. His reintegration could disrupt their rhythm. New Orleans will likely have to participate in the play-in tournament as a seventh or eighth-seed and win at least one game to qualify for the playoffs.
David Griffin announced the following update on Zion Williamson:
“After further evaluation, it has been determined that Zion Williamson will continue his rehabilitation and conditioning regimen.
We will continue to monitor his progression, and updates will be provided as… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/HgtClM5gmS
New Orleans Pelicans' hopes of playoff success rely on Zion Williamson
The New Orleans Pelicans, with a healthy Zion Williamson, were reckoned to be a Western Conference Finals contender by many. However, the All-Star forward's injury issues have hurt the team's odds of making a deep playoff push.
The Pelicans have a solid roster around him. It's a good mix of veterans, young role players and a reliable co-star in Brandon Ingram. They managed to make the playoffs last season without Williamson and have forced their way into the play-in tournament, despite his absence again.
However, the Pelicans can only be so good without their best player. That goes for any other team in the league, not just the Pelicans. The playoffs are much different than the regular season, and New Orleans will need Zion at full strength to have a shot at competing against other Western Conference powerhouses.
The Pelicans could face the top-seed Nuggets, Grizzlies, or Kings in the first round, so they will hope Zion Williamson recovers well before Game 1 of their 2023 playoffs campaign if they get there.
Click here to view David Griffin's comments on Zion Williamson's injury released by NBA.com.