Haynes: Zion Williamson 'Making Progress' Ahead of Next Week's Injury Re-Evaluation

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has progressed to on-court workouts and is "making progress" without any new setbacks as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

The 22-year-old has been out since Jan. 2 due to a right hamstring strain, but there appeared to be light at the end of the tunnel when the team cleared him to resume basketball activities on March 22 with the expectation that he'd be reevaluated in two weeks.

Due to the two-week timeline, the Pelicans will have only a small handful of regular-season games left on the schedule by the time Williamson's status is determined. At 38-38, the team ranks eighth in the Western Conference.

At the time, New Orleans head coach Willie Green didn't rule out the possibility of the Duke product returning before the end of the season, saying, "I can't confirm that he will be back or not, but we'll see."

When Williamson initially suffered the injury, it wasn't expected to keep him out for over three months. However, he re-injured his hamstring before the All-Star break while working toward his on-court return.

The Pelicans have suffered without the 2019 No. 1 pick on the floor. New Orleans has gone 21-26 when Williamson is out of the lineup, per StatMuse.

When he is healthy, he is an absolute force with averages of 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists while connecting on 60.8 percent of his field goals. He was named to the All-Star Game for the second time in his career, but he was unable to play.

Until Williamson returns, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum will continue to shoulder the offensive load for the Pelicans while the regular season winds down.