Zion Williamson injury: What caused the New Orleans Pelicans’ star to miss finish of game vs Utah Jazz? How long is he expected to be out for?

The New Orleans Pelicans got off to an impressive 2-0 start this season. They recorded a blowout win against the Brooklyn Nets on opening night before beating the Charlotte Hornets.

However, their season took a potential turn for the worse during their 122-121 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz on Sunday.

All-Star forward Brandon Ingram first left the game in the second quarter with a head injury and is now being evaluated for a concussion. This was followed by All-Star forward Zion Williamson leaving the game in the fourth quarter.

Williamson has since been diagnosed with a posterior hip contusion as per Shams Charania of The Athletic and the Pelicans organization.

Williamson’s NBA career has been plagued by injuries so far as he has only played a total of 85 games over his first three seasons. He was finally looking healthy to start this season and was poised to take the Pelicans' young core to the next level.

However, he took a pretty hard, unavoidable fall versus the Jazz that could now sideline him once again.

Williamson’s injury occurred after Utah guard Jordan Clarkson blocked his dunk attempt in transition. The Pelicans star landed hard on his back after the play. He then got up and stayed on the court for a few more plays before being subbed out.

Initially, Williamson did not go to the locker room to receive treatment. However, he also did not re-enter the game and finished the game with 25 points and six rebounds in 30 minutes of action.

After the game, New Orleans Pelicans veteran guard CJ McCollum spoke about his initial reaction to Williamson’s hard fall.

“I thought, ‘Oh, man, this isn’t good. Unfortunate play,’” McCollum said.

He added that Williamson’s size and weight at 6'6" and 284 pounds, respectively, also made the fall look that much worse:

“Hopefully, he’s back sooner than later. But that’s a lot of weight, a lot of energy, a lot of athleticism coming down.”

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen also remarked on the fact that it was a clean defensive play by his teammate Jordan Clarkson to block Williamson's shot.

“I saw the replay and it was all ball, so a really great play by J.C. Really good hands by him just to get all ball.”

New Orleans Pelicans coach Willie Green also spoke about Zion Williamson’s injury postgame. However, he did not have any updates other than that he knew Williamson wasn’t coming back into Sunday’s game.

“The word that I got (was) that he wasn't going back in,” Green said.

It's unclear how much time Williamson will miss, if any. A contusion is essentially a deep bruise, which could heal sooner than expected. However, given his extensive injury history, the New Orleans Pelicans could opt to be cautious with his recovery.

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Who will replace Zion Williamson for the New Orleans Pelicans if he needs to miss time?

New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. (centre)

If Zion Williamson does end up missing any time, the New Orleans Pelicans will likely use a few players to replace his minutes. This includes veteran point forward Larry Nance Jr. and second-year sharpshooting forward Trey Murphy III.

Murphy ended up playing 40 minutes off the bench for the Pelicans in Sunday’s game versus the Utah Jazz. He finished with 16 points and nine rebounds with three made 3-pointers on 6-for-11 (54.5%) shooting.

Meanwhile, Nance finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, and six assists on 5-for-10 (50.0%) shooting in 29 minutes off the bench.

Neither Larry Nance Jr. nor Trey Murphy III will be able to replace Zion Williamson's high-level scoring as he is a career 25.6 points-per-game scorer. However, the New Orleans Pelicans should at least be able to remain competitive thanks to their team depth.

The Pelicans’ next game will be on Tuesday at home against the Dallas Mavericks.