New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson, who has been sidelined since Nov. 6 with a strained left hamstring,"is progressing well through rehabilitation and will be re-examined in approximately two weeks," the team announced Wednesday. This is the first official update to Williamson's status since he was ruled out "indefinitely" on Nov. 9.
At practice on Wednesday, New Orleans coach Willie Green did not offer much detail about Williamson's return-to-play protocol.
"Getting better and better," Green told reporters. "He's progressing."
Williamson has appeared in six games this season, averaging 22.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 31.1 minutes. The Pelicans went 2-4 in those games, and they've gone 2-14 without him. The absence of their franchise player, though, is not the only reason they are all the way at the bottom of the West. In addition to Williamson, every other member of New Orleans' core has missed a significant stretch due to injury.
In this respect, the Pelicans got some good news on Wednesday. Brandon Ingram, who missed their last five games while dealing with right plantaris tendonitis, and Herb Jones, who has been sidelined since straining his right shoulder on Oct. 29, have both been upgraded to questionable for Thursday's game against the Phoenix Suns.
Green told reporters that he's "hopeful" that Ingram and Jones will be in the lineup against Phoenix.
"They had a good practice today," Green said. "They went through a full practice, full contact."
New Orleans also announced that Jose Alvarado, who has been out since Nov. 11 with a strained left hamstring, will be reevaluated in about two weeks. Jordan Hawkins, who missed the Pelicans' last three games with lower back soreness, has been diagnosed with a lumbar spine annular fissure and will be reevaluated in about a week, according to the team.
Could New Orleans be close to fully healthy in two to three weeks? This announcement suggests it's possible, provided that no one else goes down in between now and then.
If the Pelicans don't start stringing wins together soon, though, then Williamson will return to a team that has dug itself such a deep hole that even competing for a play-in spot would require a minor miracle. They're 7.5 games behind the 10th-place San Antonio Spurs right now, and are a league-worst 1-11 on the road.
