The New Orleans Pelicans could be getting a much-needed boost back to their team fairly soon as the team announced on Thursday afternoon that Zion Williamson has been "cleared to resume on-court basketball activities with contact."
Williamson was diagnosed with a grade 1 left hamstring strain back on November 4 and has missed the last five games due to the injury.
He has already missed six of the team's 11 games this year, which has not done much to help with the optics of his injury history and his standing among the fanbase.
One thing remains certain: when he is on the court, the Pelicans are a better team. Per Cleaning the Glass, New Orleans is a +1.2 net rating with Williamson on the court. That doesn't stand out, but he has yet to play in a win.
Team efficiency and rebounding go up and their defense has improved when he plays.
What is most exciting about his eventual return is that he's barely played since Derik Queen has come into his own. Databallr has the Pelicans at a +20.3 net rating for the minutes that they have played together.
Some have already written Williamson off and dubbed Queen the next franchise cornerstone.
If New Orleans can get them working in tandem and on a consistent basis, though, the the team's future is that much better.
It's not currently known exactly when Williamson will get back to the court, but things are at least moving in the right direction.