In what state of form would the Pelicans find themselves? Zion Williamson after his hamstring injury? Ten days after his return, the findings are more than positive. Better still, the strong winger continues to gain momentum.
After observing a rest game during the “back-to-back” match won against the Mavericks, Zion Williamson returned in great shape against the Jazz, delivering his best performance of the month of January with 24 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks in just 23 minutes!
His four games played in 2025 so far have confirmed that he has recovered well from his injury, with position 4 averaging more than 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists per game. A hellish pace that his coach, Willie Green, hopes to see him maintain to help his team get back on the right path after a disastrous first part of the season, largely due to the numerous injuries which undermined the group.
“The first thing that jumped out at me was that he is in exceptional physical condition”, he pointed out after yesterday's training. “And that allows him to be able to do even more on the field. Even in a one minute window of play, he can have a huge impact on our team. We already know that he has an elite level when he enters the field, and that reflects on the rest of the guys who can also be much better, because his presence brings his share of easy shots to his teammates, of the game transition. And he also gets rebounds.”
While waiting for Brandon Ingram…
After the gradual returns of Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III, it was necessary to wait for that of Zion Williamson for New Orleans to finally be able to make the switch and start winning games again, and ended up abandoning last place in the Western Conference. Before meeting Utah this evening, the Pelicans have four victories in their last five games, and it is obviously their best series of the season.
“It’s huge, when we know that he’s going to be part of this group for the future. Of course, we want to do everything we can to keep him healthy and on the pitch.”added Willie Green. “But I feel like our team as a whole has improved. We continue to improve, the players are acclimatizing again, we are gaining consistency while the same group can now play together. On the rotations too, we find regularity. All these factors helped us get back in the right direction in the way we played.”
It now remains to recover Brandon Ingram, who is still suffering from a sprained ankle and for whom Willie Green was unable to say more, while Yves Missi, ill in recent days, was unable to participate in the yesterday's training. His presence is not yet certain for this evening.
| Zion Williamson | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2019-20 | NOP | 24 | 28 | 58.3 | 42.9 | 64.0 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 6.2 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 22.5 |
| 2020-21 | NOP | 61 | 33 | 61.1 | 29.4 | 69.8 | 2.7 | 4.5 | 7.2 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 27.0 |
| 2022-23 | NOP | 29 | 33 | 60.8 | 36.8 | 71.4 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 4.6 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 26.0 |
| 2023-24 | NOP | 70 | 32 | 57.0 | 33.3 | 70.2 | 1.7 | 4.1 | 5.8 | 5.0 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 22.9 |
| 2024-25 | NOP | 10 | 29 | 48.5 | 20.0 | 62.4 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 8.2 | 5.4 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 21.9 |
| Total | 194 | 32 | 58.6 | 32.6 | 69.1 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 6.6 | 4.2 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 24.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
