Zion Williamson Out 3 Weeks with Adductor Injury

New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson has been diagnosed with a right adductor injury and will miss at least three weeks, the team announced Tuesday, dealing another blow to a franchise already plagued by injuries and a dismal start to the season.

The 25-year-old, a two-time All-Star and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Duke, last played on Saturday in a loss at Golden State. He had recently returned from a Grade 1 left hamstring strain that sidelined him for eight games earlier this season. Williamson will be reevaluated in three weeks, potentially pushing his return to late December or beyond. In 10 games this season, he has averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.9 minutes per contest, figures close to his career norms when healthy.

Injuries have defined much of Williamson's NBA career. He has never played more than 70 regular-season games in a year and has surpassed 30 games in just two of his six previous seasons, including missing the entire 2021-22 campaign. Overall, he has appeared in 224 of 493 possible games since entering the league, a 45.5 percent availability rate. Despite the setbacks, Williamson remains a...