Pelicans’ injury report is a nightmare as Brandon Ingram sprains his ankle again and Zion Williamson is out for two more weeks

It appears that Zion Williamson’s recovery suffered an important setback and has been pushed into the future once again, as the Pelicans’ star is to make his return in two more weeks right at the end of regular season.

The New Orleans management made the announcement this Wednesday after a new reevaluation on his recurrent hamstring issue:

“The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that forward Zion Williamson was recently reevaluated for his right hamstring strain,” it read. “Medical imaging revealed that Williamson’s hamstring continues to heal. His next examination will take place in approximately two weeks.”

REPORT: Zion Williamson is not close to returning to action, via @WindhorstESPN.

With only 17 games left… it’s not looking good. pic.twitter.com/1QOzUvWHkN

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 8, 2023

If the Louisiana star is actually returning in two weeks, missing at least seven more contests, it would mean the Pelicans would only have him available for the last 8 to 10 regular season games. If he was to miss yet another week, then he’d add five less games to his potential tally.

As of now, the New Orleans squad has gone down the Western Conference, now ranking 10th in the standings, after reaching the No.3 seed back in December 2022. As they are tied with the same record (31-34) as the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers as of last night’s game, they are now only 2.5 games back from sixth place Golden State Warriors for that desired last guaranteed playoff spot.

Williamson has been out of action ever since January 2, as he left a game vs. the Philadelphia 76ers and it was announced he would be out for at least three weeks. A month later, the medical staff said he would need a final reevalutation right after the All-Star break, and now it seems to keep getting worse.

The young star, who recently signed a $193 million contract extension, has seen his team register a poor 8-21 mark in his absence. The power foward was averaging 26 points, 7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per match before his injury, shooting at 60.8% efficiency from the field.

As Brandon Ingram also fell to injury, it’s time for CJ Mc Collum to step up

News got even worse at the New Orleans’ camp when All-Star Brandon Ingram had to leave the game against the Mavericks due to a right ankle sprain. As it’s still unclear if the athlete will have to miss more games, we can’t help to remember the 25-year-old just recovered from a two-month medical issue.

“That was like the longest two months of my life,” Ingram told the press not too long ago, as he was overcmoing the rehab process.

During last night’s clash against Dallas, the Pelicans depended on their 10-year veteran CJ McCollum, who scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and guided his team to a much-needed victory.

Check out his highlights during the contest’s last quarter:

“It’s that time of the year,” the Pelicans guard said. “It’s a lot of teams battling injuries. Luka goes down tonight. BI goes down. Across the league, a lot of guys are banged up. A lot of teams have to go through times where depth matters. It gives younger guys an opportunity, and some players have to do a little bit more.”