Zion Williamson has been putting the extra hours in the gym ever since he strained his left hamstring last week during his team’s Play-in tournament loss against the Lakers. The Pelicans star is working on his conditioning and weight room lifting to try and recover as quickly as possible and return to help his team overcome their first-round series vs. Oklahoma City.
It has already been an entire week since he fell to injury, and the forward attended the press after Tuesday’s training session. The player was asked about this unfortunate timing after competing in a career-high 70 matches this campaign.
“Super demoralizing at first, can’t lie,” the young star said. “The season had been going so well, so for that to happen, it definitely was demoralizing. But I took a day or two to get past that, and now I’m back on what I’ve been saying all year, stacking my days and getting back on the court.”
“That is definitely realistic. It’s absolutely realistic, but like I said I have to pass tests.”
-Zion Williamson on the possibility of him returning this postseason
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The 23-year-old recalled what went through his mind when the injury occurred late in the fourth quarter when he rose up towards rival Anthony Davis to score his 40th point of the game against the purple and gold. The player started limping across the court until he signalled his coaching staff to the bench.
“It was super frustrating, especially at that point in the game,” Zion shared. “But my team, my teammates, they handled business, and here we are in the playoffs, so that’s still exciting. I’m excited for them, and hopefully I’ll be able to return to the court.”
He was then asked the million dollar question, about the potential timeline for his return, and he bluntly revealed he needs to get to a certain baseline and pass certain tests. “That is definitely realistic. That is absolutely realistic. But like I said, I got to pass the tests and get back to baseline, and hopefully I’ll be out there,” he said about recovering during the playoffs.
The following day after the injury, the MRI results confirmed that he was suffering from a left hamstring strain and would need to go through reevaluation two weeks later, which should be next Wednesday.
Williamson can’t help but remember last year’s season-ending injury as “one of those kind o bittersweet moments”
The New Orleans forward was dominating the NBA courts last season until he suffered a hamstring injury to his right leg on January 2, which ended up taking him out of the competition. With this new health issue, the player can’t help but compare both situations, although he admitted last year’s felt worse.
“That was definitely one of those kind of bittersweet moments,” said the superstar, who has been averaging 22.9 points per game this season. “At least it’s not like [last year]. So just build off of that.”
Back then, he recalled feeling a sharp pain down his right leg, which is a very different description from his current state. This time around, he simply says he feels like “something’s off.”
“I really love hooping, so it was bittersweet for me, if I’m being honest,” Zion expressed. “It was really bittersweet. The whole time I just kept envisioning myself out there and my impact of the game, but at the same time I had to put aside my personal feelings and be there for my teammates.”
