On Dec. 30, the New Orleans Pelicans were 23-12 and tied for first place in the Western Conference. Just a month and a half later, heading out of the All-Star break, the Pelicans are 30-29 and in the thick of the middle of the West standings.
What happened? Well, two main culprits are largely responsible for all those losses: Zion Williamson's right hamstring and Brandon Ingram's left big toe.
Ingram injured the toe against the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 25 and the Pelicans fell to 11-8 that night. However, after that, Williamson put the team on his shoulders, averaging 29.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists over the next 15 games he played (he missed three games during this stretch because of health and safety protocols).
Then on Jan. 2, Williamson hurt his right hamstring. The Pelicans fell to 23-14 that night, and by the time Ingram returned on Jan.