Oh no! A sudden grade 1 strain! This is the NBA’s top pick from a strong draft class.

In this contest between the last in the West and the 11th in the East, the Pelicans won 116-112 over the Hornets, earning their first victory of the season, improving their record to 1-6.

Here are the complete team stats for the Pelicans:

Here are the full team stats for the Hornets:

You don’t even have to see the game to know our big guy was probably going crazy and crushing the opponents relentlessly... But wait, why isn’t Zion’s name in the Pelicans’ stat sheet?

No.

It turns out Zion is once again not playing,suffering a grade 1 left hamstring strain and will be sidelined for at least a week.However, in his absence, the Pelicans secured their first win of the season in the very next game—whoever’s missing is really missed.

Didn’t he successfully lose weight this summer? Why is he still so fragile?

Weight is just one reason for Zion’s frequent injuries; his explosive style of driving aggressively into the paint every play is also a major factor.

So far this season, about 87% of his shots have been concentrated inside the paint, with almost no mid- or long-range scoring attempts.

Zion is already 25 years old and in his seventh NBA season, yet he has never developed his outside shooting skills. This season, he even abandoned attempts beyond the three-point line altogether, which not only keeps his injury risk very high but also limits his potential growth. In today’s league, players without shooting ability struggle to achieve great success.

The public no longer holds expectations for Zion; no one sees him as LeBron’s successor or the new face of the NBA. Rumors have circulated in recent years that the Pelicans want to trade him to rebuild, but no buyer has shown strong interest, making his trade value extremely limited.

This season, Zion’s salary is $39.45 million, and he is averaging 22.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2 steals per game, with a shooting percentage of 48.7%.His contracts for the 2026-27 season ($42.17 million) and 2027-28 season ($44.89 million) are both non-guaranteed.If the Pelicans grow tired of him and can’t trade him, they can cut him next summer without any financial penalty.

Actually, leaving the Pelicans might not be a bad thing for Zion. Sometimes a change of scenery is what it takes to revive a career. Joining a new team could help him stay healthy and finally fulfill the potential he showed as the top pick of the 2019 draft class.