When the New Orleans Pelicans host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night, star forward Zion Williamson won’t be out on the court with his teammates. Williamson has officially been ruled out of the game due to left hamstring injury management.
Zion Williamson to miss game vs. Hawks due to injury management
Williamson missed eight consecutive games earlier this month with a hamstring injury, but he returned to action this week as he played in consecutive games against the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks.
The game against the Mavericks took place on Friday night, making the game against the Hawks the second night of a back-to-back. It’s common practice in the NBA to rest a player fresh off of an injury on the second night of a back-to-back, and that appears to be exactly what is happening here.
So, there should be no cause for concern for Pelicans fans, as there is no reporting to indicate that the hamstring has been reaggravated. In the seven games that he has appeared in so far this season, Williamson has averaged 21.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals per performance.
Williamson’s injury aside, this season has been a complete nightmare for New Orleans. Head coach Willie Green was fired just weeks into the season, and the Pelicans have won just two of their first 16 games. They’re dead last in the standings in the Western Conference, and there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel, because they don’t even own their own first round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. That was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, with no protections.
Usually, fans of a losing team can at least look forward to adding a top talent through the draft once the season mercifully comes to an end. Pelicans fans don’t even have that.