Is Zion Williamson playing tonight against Charlotte Hornets? Latest on Pelicans star forward's availability (Mar. 30)

Zion Williamson is unavailable to play for the New Orleans Pelicans' matchup against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. This will be the fifth-straight game that the Pelicans star will miss due to back soreness.

Williamson's last appearance was against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Mar. 19, when he led the Pelicans to a 119-115 victory with 29 points, five rebounds, eight assists and three steals. The 6-foot-6 forward missed the second leg of their double-header against Minnesota with the back injury just two days later.

Zion Williamson had previously missed two months of action this season due to a hamstring strain and has played just 30 games so far. The New Orleans Pelicans have gone 10-33 without Williamson and 1-3 since his latest back injury. With just eight games remaining in the regular season, the team is already out of playoff contention as they stand 14th in the Western Conference with a 20-54 record.

Pelicans face crucial Zion Williamson decision this offseason

Zion Williamson landing back on the injury report opens up questions about his place with the New Orleans Pelicans in the future. While his current absence his more likely a reflection of the team's spot in the standings and their aspirations to land the highest possible pick for the 2025 NBA Draft, it's hard to blame fans for worrying about the star forward.

Williamson played a career-high 70 games in the 2023-24 season and also cut significant weight over the offseason, which gave fans hope that he was past his injury-prone days. However, despite staying in excellent playing shape, it hasn't translated to better durability.

These concerns may prompt the Pelicans to part ways with Williamson in the upcoming offseason. The team previously made him publicly available ahead of the trade deadline last month due to the same concerns. However, they elected to hold onto him for the time being after he put up strong showings in his return to action.

In the 30 games he's played so far in the season, Zion Williamson averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 56.7% from the field, including 23.1% from beyond the arc.

How to watch Charlotte Hornets vs New Orleans Pelicans?

The Hornets-Pelicans matchup is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. It will be televised locally on Gulf Coast Sports and FDSSE, and is also available to be streamed live on FuboTV and NBA League Pass.