It is no secret that the New Orleans Pelicans have not had the season they were expecting. The franchise knows this and that is a major reason why they have ruled Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum out for the remainder of the season. New Orleans has a 21-54 record as of March 31st, 2025. After a fall on March 19th in a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Williamson was diagnosed with a low back bone contusion. As for McCollum, he suffered a right foot bone contusion in the game against the Detroit Pistons. With only a few games left in the regular season, it is not too surprising that the Pelicans are taking a cautious approach and keeping their star duo sidelined for the remainder of the year.
New Orleans Pelicans Rule Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum For Remainder of the Season
Zion Williamson’s Season
The two-time All-Star had a solid season from an individual standpoint. He tallied 24.6 points, 7.2 total rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. Moreover, Williamson also averaged 56.7 percent shooting from the field. The former Duke Blue Devil also logged efficient advanced analytics. He authored numbers of a career-best player efficiency rating of 27.4, a true shooting percentage of 60.0 percent, and a box plus/minus rating of +6.9. On top of this, he also averaged an offensive rating of 117, a career-best rebounding percentage of 13.6 percent, and an assists percentage of 36.5 percent, another career-high. Williamson had a bit of a bounce-back campaign and showed why he was a first overall draft pick back in the 2019 NBA Draft. Whether he remains with the New Orleans Pelicans long term remains to be seen. However, one cannot fault Zion Williamson for the team’s shortcomings this season.
CJ McCollum’s Numbers This Year
Despite being older, CJ McCollum remains one of the consistent shooting guards in the Association. On the season, he tallied 21.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.8 total rebounds per game. Furthermore, the former Most Improved Player of the Year averaged a field goal percentage of 44.4 percent, a three-point shooting percentage of 37.3 percent, and a free-throw shooting percentage of 71.7 percent. McCollum also tallied an offensive rating of 111, an offensive win-share total of +1.4, and a player efficiency rating of 15.8. He also logged an assists percentage of 20.6 percent, a usage rate of 27.2 percent, and a true shooting percentage of 55.0 percent. The New Orleans Pelicans may have struggled as a collective unit this year. However, Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum proved that the team still has great individual talent on the roster.
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