The New Orleans Pelicans have dealt with numerous injuries to begin the season. As of November 8, Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, and Trey Murphy are all on the injury report. Furthermore, there is now a new addition to the injury report for New Orleans. According to the team’s official X account, shooting guard Jordan Hawkins suffered a back injury. The team announced that he will miss approximately 1-2 weeks to recover from the injury.
The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that guard Jordan Hawkins has been diagnosed with a low back strain. Hawkins is expected to miss approximately 1-2 weeks while he undergoes treatment and rehabilitation. pic.twitter.com/jomM49V6BL
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 8, 2024
Hawkins already missed New Orleans’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to back tightness on Monday. Though he returned on Wednesday night to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, the UConn alum struggled. In the loss, he recorded seven points on 1-for-7 shooting, four rebounds, one assist, and a block.
New Orleans Pelicans Guard Jordan Hawkins Sidelined Due to Back Injury
Jordan Hawkins’ Season So Far
Prior to the injury, Hawkins was having a fantastic campaign. In his first seven games, he averaged 17.6 points on 42.7% shooting, including 37.5% from the three-point line. Additionally, he averaged 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Hawkins has started three games, all in the wake of McCollum’s and Murray’s absences. However, he is playing his way into a legitimate role in the rotation. It is only his second season, but Hawkins has improved in every aspect of the game from his rookie campaign.
During the offseason, Hawkins revealed where he was looking to improve the most. The Maryland native mentioned his defense, his size, and his shooting as his biggest areas of improvement.
“Definitely the defensive end,” Hawkins said. “I think that’s what held me back a little bit. Not being able to guard. So I think my big focus is going to be on guarding. Trying to guard wings. Trying to get bigger. Shooting. Being a 40% 3-point shooter for our team. We have guys who can penetrate, get to the hoop. I just have to be able to knock shots down.”
Furthermore, teammate Jose Alvarado recently spoke about Hawkins’ progress, saying he will “be really good” for the Pelicans this season.
Jose Alvarado on Jordan Hawkins’ progress: “He got his feet wet with his first year. He’s putting it all together. The game is slowing down for him. He’s going to be really good for us this year.”
— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) October 4, 2024
The Last Word
Hawkins only missing a week or two is not the end of the world for the Pelicans. However, his injury is still unfortunate, especially given the timing.
Through two-and-a-half weeks of the season, the Pelicans are 3-6. They are tied with the Trail Blazers for the second-worst record in the conference and are only ahead of the 1-7 Utah Jazz. There is still plenty of time for the Pelicans to flip the script, especially once they get healthy. However, after making the playoffs last season, it is fair to say this is an underwhelming start for New Orleans.
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