Is Zion Williamson playing tonight against Rockets? Latest injury update on Pelicans star ahead of matchup (16th March 2023)

The New Orleans Pelicans will be looking to get back to winning ways when they visit the Houston Rockets on Friday.

The Pelicans (33-36) have seen wins hard to come by in the absence of forward Zion Williamson, who last played a game on Jan. 2. The injury was initially expected to be a niggling hamstring problem but has instead proved to be pivotal to the way the Pelicans’ season has gone. The Pelicans are 10-22 since he got injured in the loss against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The forward was rumored to be close to a return but is now confirmed to be missing until March 22. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on March 9 that Williamson will be out for at least two more weeks, meaning that he has no chance of playing against the Houston Rockets on Friday or Sunday.

In Williamson’s absence, the Pelicans have suffered defensively and have relied on Brandon Ingram (who has played only 32 games) and CJ McCollum to outscore opponents. There have been some bright sparks such as the emergence of Trey Murphy III, who has averaged 13.4 points and has an efficiency of exactly 60.0%.

The Rockets are on a two-game winning streak (beating the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers) and could prove tricky to beat for the New Orleans Pelicans, especially in the absence of Zion Williamson.

New Orleans Pelicans have struggled to win without Zion Williamson

With Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans were one of the best offensive teams in the Western Conference. They were ranked eighth in offensive rating and have since dropped to 26th. Only four teams are ranked below them. One of them is the Houston Rockets.

Williamson, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, has been an All-Star twice in his four seasons. However, he's played only 114 of 295 games in the regular season and also missed eight postseason games and this season's All-Star Game.

The Rockets (17-52) are ranked 15th in the Western Conference. The New Orleans Pelicans have won both games against the Rockets this season.The first time around, Williamson had 26 points and six assists in a 119-106 victory.

The second time was on Jan. 4, in the first game after Williamson was injured. The Pelicans proved that they could churn out wins in his absence, with CJ McCollum scoring 28 points and five other players also scoring in double digits in a 119-108 win.

The Pelicans will have all of their major stars available apart from Zion Williamson and will be looking to make it a third victory against the Rockets this season.