For the first time in more than two months, Zion Williamson took the court Tuesday night with a healthy hamstring.
The New Orleans Pelicans forward and former No. 1 overall draft pick had missed the last 27 games after suffering the injury in a Nov. 6 game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In Tuesday night’s 104-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Williamson played 28 minutes, scored 22 points and pulled down six rebounds.
He also showed that his athletic style and power are still intact during a sequence in the third quarter in which he made a steal at midcourt and then threw down a ferocious 360-degree dunk.
Williamson, 24, has had an injury-plagued start to his NBA career ever since the Pelicans selected him first overall in the 2019 NBA draft.
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He played just 24 games in his rookie season due to a knee injury, and after an All-Star campaign his second year in the league, he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury with 45 games remaining in 2022-23. Then last season, after playing a career-high 70 games, a hamstring strain caused him to miss the Pelicans’ first-round playoff series.
In an abundance of caution, New Orleans coach Willie Green said Williamson will have his playing time limited until he’s fully recovered.