How long will Pelicans’ Zion Williamson be out after injuring his hip?
What started out as a promising season for the Pelicans may have just taken a major blow if their star is ruled out for a lengthy period of time.
Given his history of injury problems, the Pelicans are probably sweating on their star’s health right now after he didn’t return to the game following a bad fall.
Zion Williamson diagnosed with hip contusion
On Sunday night, the New Orleans Pelicans were defeated 122-121 in overtime by the Utah Jazz. While the loss will surely not have been well received, especially given how close it was, the Pelicans have got bigger problems on their hands. Franchise player and the man everybody wants to see, Zion Williamson took a hard fall after a dunk attempt early in the fourth quarter and did not return to the game. Curiously, the Pelicans didn’t officially rule Williamson out of the game, but coach Wille Green disclosed after the loss, that the All-Star forward was diagnosed with a posterior hip contusion.
Where the injury itself is concerned, it occurred with 8:10 remaining in the fourth quarter when CJ McCollum dished a pass to Williamson, who was on a fastbreak. What looked like it was about to be an easy dunk for Williamson quickly turned into a scary moment for both player and team. As he approached the basket, Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson attempted to block Williamson’s effort. Unfortunately, the Pelicans star fell awkwardly as a result of Clarkson’s move and could be seen in visible pain, the moment he hit the floor. Though he stayed on the court for a few more plays, it was clear that Williamson was not in good shape and was substituted soon after. He did not return.
How long will Zion Williamson be out?
There has been no official word on how long Williamson will be out - if he has to miss time at all - but as we all know, the forward has a complex history where injuries are concerned. Indeed, it was Williamson who missed the entire duration of the last season after injuring his foot and then worse, developing a series of complications on the road to recovery. With that, one can expect the Pelicans to be extremely cautious with him. If it does come to pass that Williamson is forced to sit out some games, it will undoubtedly be a blow to the Pelicans who are widely expected to be contenders with Williamson in their ranks.
This is not good news for the Pelicans
If you weren’t already aware, Zion Williamson is the highest rated young talents in the NBA today. We’re it not for the injuries that derailed his season last year, the Pelicans campaign would have likely gone very differently. On Sunday night alone, he was already on 25 points, six rebounds and two blocks when he was forced to leave the game against the Jazz. Of course, that was just the latest in a line of performances that have seen him average 22 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game across the Pelicans’ first three. This is all to say, with Zion Williamson healthy and on the court, the Pelicans are undoubtedly a major threat in the Western Conference. Without him, not so much. For the moment, we - like the Pelicans and Williamson - can only sit and wait to see what happens, so stay with us as we’ll be bringing you the updates that follow.