Source: Jacob Kupferman / Getty
After being drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019, Zion Williamson was poised to become the league’s next big star, following in the footsteps of the aging Steph Curry and LeBron James of the world.
But consistent injuries just wouldn’t let him be great. A stubborn hamstring injury has hampered his past few seasons, including a promising 2023 season when he played a career-high 70 games. However, the playoffs were still a no-go after injuring himself again in the play-in tournament against the Los Angeles Lakers, which ended his season.
Now, it’s clear that the big man needs some load management because of how the Pelicans season is shaping up. But he made it clear that it wasn’t his idea.
Zion says the Pelicans decided it isn’t ‘smart’ for him to play back-to-backs
“If I can play in the back-to-backs, I would. Physically? Yes, I can. But I work for the Pelicans.”
(via @PelicansNBA) pic.twitter.com/cefiQ1kuQN
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 30, 2025
“Let me make this clear to everybody out there,” Williamson told The Athletic‘s Will Guillory. “If I could play in the back-to-backs, I would. Physically? Yes, I can. But I work for the Pelicans. They have decided that, based off the numbers, it’s not smart to do that right now. If that’s what they feel, I’m rocking with them on that.”
Pelicans brass does have a point since Williamson has only appeared in just 13 games this season, having missed 27 straight until returning from –you guessed it– a hamstring injury at the top of the year. The team sits at 14th in the Western Conference with a 12-36 record.
For the games he has played, he’s averaged nearly 24 points and eight rebounds, but with the All-Star break coming up, it’s clear it’s essential to preserve his star power until they give it a solid run next season with bright talents like Dejounte Murray, Brandon Ingram and seasoned veteran in CJ McCollum.
Part of Williamson’s health issues stem from his durability issues and rumors that he cannot stay in shape, but the Duke phenom appeared to look pretty slim before this season began.
But injuries persist. See how social media is reacting to Williamson’s admission that the team is holding him back from playing more.
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