The New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson have every reason to feel cursed amid another injury-ravaged season. Willie Green’s best-laid plans have gone awry with over half the roster watching from the sidelines on most nights. Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III, and Herb Jones have been unavailable for long stretches this year. However, Williamson downplayed the newest setback before the Pelicans faced the Golden State Warriors in an NBA Cup contest.
“It helped a lot (knowing it was not the same hamstring),” Williamson replied. “Just because I’d reaggravated the one from Philadelphia and the one last year was just bad timing at that point of the season. But this one? Yeah, I was glad that it was nothing crazy.”
The mystery for weeks has been did ‘it’ happen in the game versus the Cleveland Cavaliers?
“It had to have,” Williamson said. “because when I left the arena I felt fine. No problems, no nothing. Got up the next day, came in for treatments, and it was like ‘I feel more sore here than usual.’ I went and got it checked out and got that not-great news. It was not what I wanted to hear.”
Pelicans, Zion Williamson working rehab plan
The crushing blow is as much mental as it is physical, once diagnosed. There is only one cure for the brain part of the equation.
“The initial part is always rough on your mental (health),” admitted Williamson. “After about the first week, your spirits are back up. Just being around the guys helps a lot…When you get the initial news, it sucks. It’s like man, really. But like I said, after a few days you get your spirits back up and you just look toward the future.”
Getting on the basketball court in the right mind frame is one thing. Making sure the physical foundation is correct is a totally different problem. The approach to injury prevention has to be as unique as Williamson’s physique. There is no blueprint for the former Duke Blue Devil’s dominating style and physical build.
“Absolutely you have to factor that in because I do not have the normal basketball body type,” Williamson noted. “I can do things that guards can do and can really get off the ground. So, yeah, we definitely take that approach when going into rehab.”
As for what can be done going forward individually?
“If you are asking me, a lot,” Williamson boasted. “But I’ve got to follow guidelines and protocols. Staying in good spirits, rehab is going great. I’m on track and that’s all I can do right now…Working on mobility to strengthen different areas. There are definitely a lot of things I can do to improve to take stress off that area.”
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