Zion Williamson Injury News Makes Chicago Bulls' Schedule Look Even Easier

As the Chicago Bulls look to snap out of a funk, they may have received some unexpected help.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Tuesday that New Orleans Pelicans big man Zion Williamson is headed for the injury report. The superstar forward has suffered a right adductor injury and will miss extended time. According to Charania, the current plan is to re-evaluate Williamson in three weeks, which is set for two days before Christmas.

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson will miss extended time with a right adductor injury, sources tell ESPN. He will be re-evaluated in three weeks. pic.twitter.com/NZtuinR4Qq
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 2, 2025

Of course, a re-evaluation does not signify a return to action. Williamson will likely need additional time to ramp up, assuming he is given the green light to resume normal basketball activities in three weeks. This marks the second injury this season that will force Williamson to miss more than two week of NBA action. The forward previously suffered a hamstring strain at the beginning of November, which kept him out of eight contests.

Williamson returned to the floor on Nov. 19 and has sat out both of the team's back-to-back stints. In his five games since returning, Williamson has remained a problem for opposing defenses, averaging 21.4 points on 53.7 percent shooting. His best outing came against the Chicago Bulls' weak interior defense on Nov. 24. He posted 29 points on 8-14 shooting from the field and a season-best 13-16 effort from the free throw line.

Indeed, the Pelicans went on to stun the Chicago Bulls with a 143-130 victory. Not only did they score a season-high in points despite entering the night averaging the fewest in the league, but this marked only their third win of the regular season.

Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans — Nov 26, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) reacts after a basket against Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (8) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Bulls' difficulty keeping Williamson in check felt like a big problem when glancing at the December schedule. Chicago is set to face off against the Pelicans twice more over the next month. The first game was only recently added onto the schedule by the league office following the conclusion of NBA Cup group play. New Orleans will take a trip to the United Center on Dec. 14. Then, the Bulls will host them again on December 31.

While it's possible that Williamson will be back on the floor by the New Year's Eve matchup, there is no guarantee. This means the Bulls could now dodge the overpowering forward twice over the next few weeks, which would likely cause head coach Billy Donovan to take a big sigh of relief.

For what it's worth, the Bulls are said to have the 10th-easiest strength of schedule in December, per Positive Residual. Williamson's potential absence from both games will only make things look more favorable. So if the Bulls can finally learn to take advantage of teams that sit near the bottom of the NBA totem pole, they could find themselves creeping back up the East standings this month. That sure is a big "if," right?