Zion Williamson is almost ready to return.
The New Orleans Pelicans said Williamson has “begun the return-to-play phase” of his recovery from a hamstring strain on Tuesday. He will be considered “week-to-week” going forward, although it is unclear when he will take the field with the team again. He is scheduled to return to full practice next week.
Williamson first suffered a hamstring injury in a loss to the Cavaliers early last month, and he left that game due to the injury. He hasn’t played since then. The team expected him to miss four to six weeks recovering, but at best it will be about two months if he can return in early January.
Williamson, a former No. 1 pick out of Duke, has struggled to stay healthy for much of his league career. He missed more than half of the potential regular-season games he could have played in during his six seasons in the league and missed the entire 2021-22 campaign with a foot injury. Williamson has averaged 22.7 points and eight rebounds in six games this season.
The Pelicans have been plagued by injuries across the board this season. Along with Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III, CJ McCollum, Jordan Hawkins, Herb Jones, José Alvarado, Karlo Matković and Brandon Ingram have all missed time with various injuries. Ingram, who is out with a sprained left ankle, will be re-examined in about two weeks. He has averaged 22.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season, his sixth with the team.
The Pelicans have just a 5-25 record entering Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets, which is the second-worst record in the league. They have also lost seven straight and 16 of their last 17 games. While Williamson’s return won’t solve all of the Pelicans’ problems, it’s certainly an important step in the right direction for New Orleans.