Zion Williamson's Injury Status For Pelicans vs Rockets

2x All-Star Zion Williamson appears on the injury report for the Houston Rockets matchup.

Terry Kimble | 17 Hours Ago

Dec 23, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) dribbles against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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When the New Orleans Pelicans host the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, the team will again be without starting power forward Zion Williamson. The former No. 1 overall pick remains out with a hamstring injury he suffered on November 6th against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Williamson has appeared in only six games this year, averaging 22.7 points, eight rebounds, and 5.3 assists.

New Orleans is 1-5 this season without the two-time all-star in the lineup, but the team's interior scoring has significantly suffered without him. Williamson was second in the last season with 17.6 points in the paint, while the Pelicans ranked 9th in the league. This season, New Orleans is 20th in the NBA in paint scoring and last in the league in overall scoring.

Trey Murphy, Javonte Green questionable for Thursday game vs. Rockets

Injury Report ⬇️#Pelicans | @MorrisBartLLC https://t.co/jT2NmJePwe
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 25, 2024

Earlier this week, the Pelicans updated Williamson's status, revealing that the star forward has begun the return-to-play conditioning phase of his rehabilitation. He will return to practice full-time next week and be week-to-week. New Orleans' 5-25 record puts them in a precarious situation with their stars moving forward.

Nov 3, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) during warmups before the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

A new report from The Athletic's Jovan Buha revealed the Pelicans may be shopping Williamson now. Buha highlights that Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum are the three players the team is shopping for, while Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones are in the Pelicans' plans for the future.

Williamson's season ended last year in the Play-In-Tournament after he injured his hamstring against the Los Angeles Lakers despite playing in a career-high 70 games. The season before that, another hamstring injury ended his season after just 29 games. Williamson signed a five-year extension with the Pelicans in 2019.

Tip-off for Thursday night's game is set for 7:00 p.m. CST.

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