At some point, the Pelicans need to cut their losses and part ways with Zion Williamson. Over six seasons, he’s played in 197 games. Williamson missed the entire 2020-21 season due to injury.
In total, the two-time all-star has missed 261 games for New Orleans. Recently, Williamson made comments about feeling well enough to play in back-to-backs. However, the Pelicans are cautious and will not let Williamson do that yet.
Are the Pelicans holding Zion Williamson back in 2024-25?
Zion Williamson Says Pelicans Are Holding Him Out Of Back-To-Backs https://t.co/DOIpg8MmMr
— RealGM (@RealGM) January 31, 2025
The New Orleans Pelicans have played in 48 games in 2024-25. Zion Williamson has been available for 13 of those contests. From November 8 – January 1, Williamson missed 27 straight games for the Pelicans. In total, he’s missed 35 games for New Orleans this season. Through 13 starts in 2024-25, Williamson is averaging (23.6) points, (8.2) rebounds, (5.0) assists, (1.2) steals, and (1.2) blocks per game. Availability has been the biggest struggle for Zion Williamson in his NBA career.
His 70 games played in 2023-24 was just the second time he’s played 60+ games in a season. According to the 24-year-old, the Pelicans will not allow him to play in back-to-backs. Williamson said that he feels healthy enough to play. However, New Orleans doesn’t want to take any chances. They know Williamson could have another injury at any point. They want to mitigate the chances of that happening. Not allowing him to play in back-to-backs is one way the Pelicans can keep Zion on the court.
For the remainder of the 2024-25 season, the Pelicans only have four more sets of back-to-backs. Barring another injury, Williamson should play in a majority of New Orleans’ games to end the year. They have 34 games left after a 137-136 loss to the Mavericks on Wednesday. The Pelicans are at home on Friday night to face the Boston Celtics.
