According to Rogers Sportsnet on Tuesday, New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson of Salisbury, North Carolina will be out a minimum of three weeks. The 6’6″ 285 pound giant who was the first overall pick in the 2019 National Basketball Association draft, suffered the injury on Monday, in New Orleans’s 120-111 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Williamson has a history of serious injuries. He had a torn meniscus in his right knee to begin his NBA career, and then suffered a foot injury which forced him to miss the entire 2021-22 NBA season.
In 2022-23, Williamson is averaging 26 points per game, seven rebounds per game, 4.6 assists per game, 1.1 steals per game, 0.6 blocks per game, a field goal percentage of .608, a three-point percentage of .368, and a free throw percentage of .714. Williamson’s best game this season came on December 28, as he had 43 points in a 119-118 Pelicans win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It will be interesting to see how the Pelicans survive over the next month without their intimidating big man. In the eight games Williamson has not played, New Orleans actually has a record of six wins and two losses. The teams the Pelicans beat included the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. In New Orleans’s win over Indiana, the Pelicans put a beatdown on Indiana, as they came away with a commanding 113-93 win on Boxing Day. Pelicans small forward Naji Marshall of Atlantic City, New Jersey out of Xavier led the New Orleans attack with 22 points and was an impressive +22.
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