New Orleans Pelicans Dealt Massive Blow As Zion Williamson Suffers Injury Setback

• Zion Williamson is set to be sidelined for a few more weeks with a hamstring injury
• Williamson's career has been hampered by injuries
• He missed all of last season and has played just 29 games this season

The New Orleans Pelicans will have to make do without their All-Star Zion Williamson who is set to miss more time on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

The 22-year-old was named as an All-Star starter for the 2023 event despite playing just 29 games.

The No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft started the season well, helping the Pelicans race to a 23-12 start. However, he injured his hamstring on January 2nd against the Philadelphia 76ers and has not played since

His injury and injuries to other Pelicans like Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum have somehow derailed their season. They are just coming out of a 10-game losing streak. They have won the last three.

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Williamson's career has been hampered by injuries.

Williamson injury setback

According to ESPN, the young star will miss the upcoming 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. Williamson is averaging 26 points, seven rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 60.8% from the field.

It is evident that the Pelicans are better with him. They are 17-12 with him playing and 12-15 without him. Pelicans coach Willie Green said they are not expecting their best starting five before the All-Star break.

"Not before All-Star break. We're probably not going to see our starting five, the starting five we opened the season with. No."

The Pelicans' big three have played only 10 games together. Moreover, when Ingram, Williamson and McCollum are on the court together, their offense and defense improve significantly.

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They score 120.4 points per 100 possessions and give up 104.4 points per 100 possessions.

Williamson missed all of last season. He played 24 games in his debut season, 61 in the 2020/21 season and 29 this campaign. The Pelicans have struggled to keep him on the floor and given his explosiveness, they'll need to go the extra yard to keep him healthy, per CBS Sports.

Mc Colloum inspires Williamson

Sports Brief earlier reported on McCollum giving a word of advice to Williamson during their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves where he scored a career-high 43 points.

Williamson said he watched a lot of NBA legends and learned their mindsets. He said he wanted people to remember him as a winner after he retired.

McCollum whispered some motivational words to him as the game got intense.

"CJ looked at me and said, 'If you wanna be great, this is the time to step up.' And that was all the motivation I needed."