Zion Williamson says New Orleans Pelicans are doing something against his wish

If there has been one thing that has been consistent about Zion Williamson during his career with the New Orleans Pelicans, it's missing games due to injuries.

As a result, many have lost major hopes from Zion to become the face of the league as he was once expected to be.

Even during the 2024-25 NBA season, Zion missed the majority of the season due to a hamstring injury before returning to action earlier this month.

Considering Zion's history with injuries, the Pelicans have seemingly decided to be insanely careful about managing the former No. 1 overall pick's load for the remainder of the season. It includes not playing in back-to-back games.

Is Zion happy with the decision? Likely not. But he still understands the Pelicans' decision is for his good, albeit against his wishes.

"Let me make this clear to everybody out there. If I could play in the back-to-backs, I would. Physically? Yes, I can," Williamson said. "But I work for the Pelicans. They have decided that, based off the numbers, it's not smart to do that right now. If that's what they feel, I'm rocking with them on that."

Zion Williamson on playing back-to-backs:

"Let me make this clear to everybody out there. If I could play in the back-to-backs, I would. Physically? Yes, I can. But I work for the Pelicans. They have decided that, based off the numbers, it's not smart to do that right now. If…
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 30, 2025

While it's good to see that Williamson respects the Pelicans' decision, it doesn't really matter even if he stays healthy for the entirety of the season.

After all, they are the 14th seed in the Western Conference with a 12-36 record, so all hope for making a push for the postseason is already over.