The New Orleans Pelicans announced Monday that center Greg Oden….ERRRR….forward Zion Williamson and guard CJ McCollum will miss the rest of the 2024–25 season due to injuries.
The news came one day after the Pelicans secured a 98–94 win over the Charlotte Hornets, a game played without both Williamson and McCollum in the lineup. Williamson is sidelined with a bone bruise in his lower back, while McCollum is recovering from a bone bruise in his right foot.
Williamson’s latest injury further extends a pattern of limited availability for the 2019 No. 1 overall pick. He will finish the season having played in 30 games or fewer for the fourth time in six seasons. The 24-year-old sustained his current injury during a fall against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 19 and has missed the team’s five subsequent games. Prior to the setback, he had recorded the first two triple-doubles of his NBA career over an eight-game stretch.
The Pelicans indicated that Williamson’s recovery plan will include rest and targeted treatment.
Despite frequent absences, Williamson has remained highly productive when healthy. According to ESPN Research, he is the only NBA player since the 1997–98 season to average at least 15 points in the paint while shooting 55 percent or better in each of his first five seasons. However, he has now missed more games (258) than he has played (214) during his tenure in New Orleans.
Williamson will conclude the 2024–25 season averaging 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals over 30 appearances.
McCollum sustained his injury during a 40-point performance in a March 23 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Like Williamson, he will undergo a rehabilitation program consisting of rest and medical treatment.
The Pelicans’ injury woes have severely impacted their season. All three players who averaged over 20 points per game—Williamson, McCollum, and Trey Murphy III (torn labrum)—were unable to complete the season. The team has also dealt with extended absences from key contributors Dejounte Murray and Herbert Jones.
New Orleans enters the final stretch of the season with a 21–54 record, the fourth-worst in the NBA, and has used 41 different starting lineups amid ongoing roster instability.
