New Orleans pelicans have been one of the most injured NBA teams in 2024-25, and that trend will continue.
Williamson, 24, takes the Pelicans to score with 24.6 points per game in a striking 56.7 percent from the field to go along with 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 30 games. McCollum, 33, averages 21.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists in more than 56 games.
After wasting the initial significant time to begin the season with an injury in the hamstrings, Williamson suffered a lower background bone contusion on March 19 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. McCollum was diagnosed with bone bruise on his right foot on March 23 against the Detroit Pistons. Both players will rehabilitate their injuries through rest and treatment.
Williamson, the first general selection in the 2019 NBA Draft outside Duke, has played 214 of the possible 492 games in its first six NBA seasons.
The Pelicans have 21-54, good for 27th position in the NBA, or fourth place in the “reverse classification” seek the first general selection projected in the 2025 draft, Cooper Flagg, another Duke product.
