The New Orleans Pelicans have started getting healthier, but they're not out of the woods just yet. Even with Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, and Jordan Hawkins all back from their respective injuries, the team is still enduring multiple absences to their core.
Not only do they still have players sidelined, but the wins haven't started to roll back in yet either. After their latest loss, an eight-point defeat at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Pelicans have dropped to 5-27 on the year, firmly in last place of the Western Conference standings.
Even the players that have returned seem to still be dragged down by their previous injuries, especially Dejounte Murray, who fractured his left hand in the opening game of the season, and Jordan Hawkins, who had a scary back injury but was able to return after a couple of weeks off. Both of those guards have struggled heavily with their efficiency, likely still affected by their respective ailments, the subsequent rehab, and the lost rhythm from their time off. Thankfully, the Pelicans are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, as their injury report gives a foreseeable future where they might see this team at full strength.
Pelicans late-December injury report
Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson went down with a hamstring strain in early December and has been out for nearly four full weeks. He's expected to finally return to practice next week at which point he'll be re-evaluated. The Pelicans are currently considering him week-to-week.
They'll likely take their time reintegrating him back into the lineup due to their poor standing. They're also supposedly shopping him around to other teams ahead of the trade deadline and won't want to risk another injury before they're able to deal him away, although it could be in their best interest for him to remind the league just how dominant he can be when he's healthy. The NBA does have a tendency to have an extremely short memory.
Brandon Ingram
Brandon Ingram last played on December 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder when he suffered a high ankle sprain early in the second half. He's been out ever since and won't be returning to the court for at least two more weeks when he'll be re-evaluated.
That means he'll be sidelined until at least the second week in January, with just a month left before the trade deadline. There's a chance that Ingram won't appear again at all for the Pelicans. At this point in his career, he's a known commodity and he proved it by putting up his usual numbers while he was left manning the team as a one-man show with Zion, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, and Herb Jones all out.
Jose Alvarado
Like Zion, Jose Alvarado has also been nursing a hamstring strain. Also like Z, he'll be re-evaluated next week when he returns to practice and is also considered week-to-week by the Pelicans.
Yves Missi
Yves Missi went down with a scary back injury in the first half of the Pelicans' clash against the Grizzlies. After a short stoppage, he ultimately went back to the locker room to get examined. Ultimately, he was able to return for the second half and finished the game with 27 total minutes. It appears that Missi is fine, but it's a situation worth monitoring, especially considering how the team handled Jordan Hawkins's back injury.