The New Orleans Pelicans have officially ruled out Zion Williamson for the remainder of the season. The team made the announcement in a press release Monday evening. Williamson has been dealing with a lingering back injury, and after continued evaluations, the team determined it was best to shut him down. He will continue his recovery plan, which includes rest and treatment.
His final appearance was on March 19, when the Pelicans defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-115. Williamson scored 29 points, along with eight assists and five rebounds.
He averaged 24.6 points this season while posting career highs in rebounding (7.2) and assists (5.3).
Long-Term Concerns for Zion
This latest injury fuels ongoing concerns about Williamson’s durability. He’s appeared in at least 40 games in only two of his first six seasons. Zion played in 30 games during the 2024-25 campaign, missing a large portion of the season with a hamstring injury.
Williamson has played in more than 30 games only twice in his career. He missed the entire 2021-22 season with a knee injury and was limited to 24 and 29 games in two other seasons.
This season was especially disappointing, considering Williamson played a career-high 70 games last season. Since being drafted first overall in 2019, Zion has appeared in 214 games. The Pelicans are a respectable 109-105 with Williamson on the court but are 100-151 without him, including 11-34 this season.
While he remains one of the most talented players in the league, his inability to stay healthy raises questions about his long-term future in New Orleans. Williamson is under contract with the Pelicans for the next three seasons
CJ McCollum Also Sidelined
Adding to the Pelicans’ woes, veteran guard CJ McCollum is also out for the rest of the season due to a back injury. McCollum has been a key piece of the Pelicans’ offense, providing leadership and scoring.
He appeared in 56 games for New Orleans this season, averaging 21.1 points per game and leading the Pelicans with 171 three-pointers. McCollum had four 40-point games this season, including a 50-point performance against the Washington Wizards on Jan. 3.
McCollum is under contract for one more season at $30.6 million.
Looking Ahead
At 21-54, New Orleans sits in fourth place in the chase for the NBA’s worst record and the potential top pick in the 2025 NBA draft. With Williamson and McCollum sidelined, the Pelicans must recalibrate their strategy for the remainder of the season.
The Pelicans have seven games remaining in the regular season before heading into a very uncertain offseason. New Orleans is already watching the recoveries of several key players from injury.
Dejounte Murray, acquired via trade last off-season, is recuperating from a torn Achilles. Up-and-coming star Trey Murphy and defensive stalwart Herb Jones are recovering from shoulder surgery.
The Pelicans have to decide if building around Williamson is still the plan for a franchise that has advanced to the second round of the playoffs just twice in 23 seasons. There will certainly be interest in Zion’s talents. Speculation has continued that he may be available via trade, with teams like the Lakers and Heat in pursuit.
In the meantime, the Pelicans will limp to the end of the season starting with two games this week in Los Angeles against the Clippers and Lakers.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Zion SHUT DOWN – Injury Ends Season! appeared first on Heavy Sports.