At one point in the regular season, the New Orleans Pelicans seemed like legit contenders to make a deep postseason run. However, ever since Brandon Ingram suffered an injury toward the tail end of the campaign, the Pels tumbled down the standings. Things went from bad to worse as Zion Williamson hurt his left hamstring during the play-in tournament. While the Louisiana side managed to defeat the Sacramento Kings to clinch a playoff spot in Williamson’s absence, they haven’t been able to replicate similar success in the first two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder. As the forward is placed on the injury report yet again, fans are concerned that CJ McCollum and co. might fall 0-3 in the series.
Advertisement
Zion Williamson is the only member of the New Orleans Pelicans to be added to the injury report. Unfortunately, NOLA supporters will not see the former Duke Blue Devil suit up at the Smoothie King Center tonight as he’s officially been listed as “out”.
During the 16th April 7-8 play-in game contest against the Los Angeles Lakers, Zion Williamson was having a terrific performance before going down with an injury. Limping around the floor, the 6ft 6” star immediately headed to the team’s locker room with 3:13 minutes remaining and never returned to action.
According to the team’s statement, Zion would be reevaluated only after two weeks. Hence, the two-time All-Star has been sidelined for both games of the series. Without their best player, the Pelicans did put up a great fight in Game 1, losing by merely 2 points (92-94). However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and co. blew Willie Green’s boys out 124-92 in Game 2.
Ahead of Game 3, Williamson did try to keep his fans encouraged by speaking about a potential return. However, the supporters’ morale was quickly squashed by Shams Charania. The NBA insider claimed that the highflyer would only be able to make a realistic return to the lineup after the conclusion of the first round. With the Southwest Division team already trailing 0-2 against the #1 Thunder, the chances of the same occurring are quite low.
Considering that the Pelicans have a larger chance of getting eliminated than qualifying for the next round, it will be the smarter decision if the team doesn’t force Williamson to return ahead of his timeline. Yes, it is unfortunate that the southpaw has yet to participate in a playoff game in his career, but risking his health will only jeopardize the team’s promising future.
