What happened to Zion Williamson? Looking at Pelicans' star injury-prone career 

When healthy, Zion Williamson is one of the most exciting players to watch in the league right now. His unmatched athleticism, speed, and strength all add up to his dominance on the court. Despite being listed at 6'6" in the power forward position, Zion Williamson can go head-to-head with any elite forward or big man in the NBA.

However, the problem with Zion is his inability to stay healthy long enough to finish a regular season. In the 2022-23 season, he was having a promising season, averaging 26.0 points per game (60.8% shooting, including 36.8% from 3-point range) and 7.0 rebounds.

Unfortunately, he was only able to play 29 games, which crushed the Pelicans' chances of making the playoffs. The team was 22-12 in the season before Williamson suffered a hamstring injury. His return timeline was up in the air from that point on, as he missed the Pelicans' play-in game.

Here is a look at Williamson's injury-prone career.

Zion's 2019-20 season - right knee injury

His first injury arrived during his 2019 rookie season when he suffered from a meniscus tear in his right knee and had to undergo surgery. Zion Williamson missed the first 44 games of the season before being eligible to return midway through the season.

However, despite returning to the court, he re-injured his right knee once more and ended up missing the final three games of the regular season.

Zion's 2020-21 season - right-hand thumb sprain

Williamson played 61 games this season the most he has played in his young career.

In a regular season matchup against the Boston Celtics, Zion Williamson sprained his thumb, which sidelined him for a number of games. Luckily, it wasn't serious enough for him to be out for an extended period of time.

Zion missed the whole 2021-22 season

After a promising season, wherein he was able to stay healthy to play in a handful of games, he suffers another injury. This time, the injury happens before the season even begins.

During the offseason, Zion had a fractured foot that needed to be treated through surgery. Zion Williamson was supposed to make his return to team activities in November 2021, however, his recovery process kept being prolonged.

As the recovery process went on, so too did the Pelicans' chances of making the playoffs, as Zion ended up missing the whole regular season.

Looking back on Zion Williamson's mindset with an extended recovery period from a hamstring injury in the 2022-23 season

As Zion Williamson injured his hamstring in a regular season matchup against the 76ers, Zion spoke to the media in April for a quick update.

"It's been frustrating," Williamson said. "Not going to lie to you. It's been very frustrating. Not being able to play sucks. It's a little bit of a mental battle, because you know when I reaggravated [the injury] back in February, it was tough. So when I go to make certain moves, there is that hesitation. Sometimes there's not and sometimes there is."

Hopefully, with the upcoming season, Zion can manage to stay healthy to finally lead his New Orleans Pelicans into the playoffs.