09.07.2023, 04:27 - hju - Rank 4 - 179 Posts
star forward has been sidelined since early January with a hamstring injury, and unfortunately for fans in New Orleans, there remains no real timetable for his return. He has already been ruled out of the team's Play-In Tournament game against the , and his status beyond that, should the Pelicans win, remains a question mark."It's been frustrating," Williamson said of his extended absence Chris Wagner Men Jersey while speaking with media members on Tuesday, via . "Not going to lie to you. It's been very frustrating. Not being able to play sucks."Williamson had a setback with the hamstring in February, and since then he's had some difficulty dealing with the mental side of the injury. He admitted that he has been dealing with moments of hesitation when trying to perform certain moves, and he doesn't want the i sue to negatively impact the Pelicans if he were to play. It's tough for athletes to perform up to their full potential if they're consistently second-gue sing themselves out on the floor."It's a little bit of a mental battle, because you know when I reaggravated the injury back in February, it was tough," Williamson said. "So when I go to make certain moves, there is that hesitation. Sometimes there's not and sometimes there is. And Mathew Barzal Women Jersey I understand the magnitude of these games coming up and I don't want to be out there hesitating or doing something that may affect my team in a bad way." When asked when he might be able to return to game action, Williamson provided a pretty simple answer: "When I feel like Zion," he said. When asked to expand on that, here's what he had to say:"I don't feel like there are any specific benchmarks for being Zion. It's just a matter of like, you know, when I feel like myself. Just feeling like myself and knowing that I can go out there and have a big impact for my team." This isn't the first injury i sue that Williamson has dealt with since the Pelicans made him the top overall pick in the 2019 . The powerful forward has spent a substantial amount of time on the sideline over the Mathew Barzal Jersey course of his career to this point, and as a result, he's been labeled by some pundits as "injury prone" or "overweight." Some have even questioned his level of pa sion for the game. Williamson has heard the noise, and it's clear that it bothers him, at least a bit. "It's tough. I can't lie," Williamson said. "From my perspective, I just wanna play basketball. I wanna hoop, I wanna play the game I love. But the reality of it is whether I check my phone, whether I'm just watching TV, no matter what it is, I can't really escape what the world thinks, what people's opinions are. So, it's frustrating."I love this game," he added. "I say it over and over. For those people that think that I just want to sit on the sideline just to sit over there, I don't know why people think that, but nah, it sucks. I want to be playing basketball for real." CBS Josh Bailey Kids Jersey Sports HQ Newsletter Your Ultimate Guide to Every Day in Sports We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and get a winning edge. I agree to receive the "CBS Sports HQ Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount's . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. The fact that he's so good when he plays makes all the mi sed time especially frustrating for fans, New York Islanders Kids Jersey and probably for Williamson too. In the 29 games he appeared in this season, he averaged 26 points, seven rebounds and 4.6 a sists per performance while shooting 60% from the field. He was the only player in the league to post that stat line. When he's healthy, Williamson is one of the most explosive and electric players in the entire A sociation, and thus the league is better off when he's playing. Hopefully, he can start to put these injury i sues behind him and get back out on the court in the near future. Click here Click here Click here |