Is Zion Williamson playing tonight against the San Antonio Spurs? Latest injury update for Pelicans star (Dec. 17)

Zion Williamson is currently listed as injured due to an ankle sprain he suffered last week. With that in mind, New Orleans Pelicans fans are wondering if he'll be available for their game against the San Antonio Spurs.

At the moment, there aren't any reports of him being sidelined for Sunday night's matchup. Given the current circumstances, it's more than likely that Williamson will play through his injury.

Last December 11, Zion Williamson reportedly tweaked his ankle after their 121-107 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While the injury was considered to be a minor one, the coaching staff ruled him out for Wednesday's (December 13) game against the Washington Wizards. This was a precautionary measure for Williamson so he wouldn't end up overworking his ankles.

Williamson then made his return last Friday (December 15) for their game against the Charlotte Hornets. Williamson put up a double-double performance with 21 points and 11 rebounds. With that in mind, it seems that Zion is good to go against the Spurs on Sunday night. It will all boil down to the coaching staff if they'll allow Williamson to play consecutive games.

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Why is Zion Williamson always injured?

New Orleans Pelicans v Charlotte Hornets

Zion Williamson is notorious for missing more than half of a season. Throughout his four-year career as an NBA player, the only time Williamson played more than 30 games was in the 2020-21 season when he played a total of 61 games. The reason behind his unavailability is because of him being an injury-prone player.

Even prior to getting drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans back in 2019, one major concern fans and analysts had with Williamson was his weight. Despite Zion's natural athleticism, the Pelicans star has been struggling with being out of shape and overweight. His size and athleticism don't match as both aspects of his life are clashing with each other.

Williamson is the type of player who loves exploding to the rim and posterizing his opponents. However, he can only take so much beating as his weight and power takes a major toll on his body. While he managed to play through his weight in the season prior, this year has treated Zion a little differently.

The once-upon-a-time explosive star has obviously slowed down a bit. Everyone noticed Zion Williamson's flaws when the Pelicans faced the LA Lakers in the NBA In-Season Tournament.

Going up against a 39-year-old LeBron James, Williamson looked surprisingly slower compared to the "King" and had a difficult time jumping over his defenders.