Pelicans’ Zion Williamson suffered a Hip Contusion during their home opener against the Jazz. Will he suit up tonight?
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The New Orleans Pelicans are having the kind of start to the 2022-23 season that they would’ve dreamt of. They won their first two games of the season against big opponents like the Nets and then the Hornets. Their last matchup was an overtime 122-121 loss to the Jazz.
This matchup was the Pelicans’ first game at home this season. It didn’t go as expected for quite a few reasons. Zion Williamson had 25 points in 30 minutes before he suffered a hip contusion that ruled him out for the rest of the game.
Brandon Ingram suffered a concussion 11 minutes into the game, which ruled him out for this game, and possibly the next few games.
This begs the question. Will Zion be available to take on Luka and co?
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Is Zion Williamson playing tonight?
After missing the entire 2021-22 campaign, Zion Williamson is back. The 2019 #1 Draft Pick had missed half of his rookie season, which ultimately meant in he missed out on the ROTY honors. However, he came back stronger in his sophomore season, earning All-Star honors.
So far this season, Zion has averaged 22 points, 6.7 rebounds, and two steals. That is not bad for someone returning after a year of injury. As Zion gets more and more games under his belt, his stats will only continue to improve.
His Hip Contusion injury is a cause of concern for the team, and they would not like to take any risks for the same. Because of the same, Head Coach Willie Green earlier declared the 22-year-old as questionable for the game against the Mavericks.
However, in an updated report, the Pelicans have declared him OUT for the contest.
Updated Injury Report for tonight’s game:
OUT:
Brandon Ingram – Concussion Protocols
Herbert Jones – Right Knee Hyperextension
Kira Lewis Jr. – Right Knee ACL Injury Recovery
E.J. Liddell – Right Knee ACL Injury Recovery
Zion Williamson — Right Posterior Hip / Low Back Contusion https://t.co/LKxsCNtuRS— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 25, 2022
How important is Zion staying healthy for the Pelicans?
The New Orleans Pelicans fought their way through the Play-In game last season and went toe-to-toe against the #1-seeded Phoenix Suns last season. All of this happened thanks to CJ McCollum’s addition and Brandon Ingram. However, with Zion healthy, the Pelicans can move to the next level.
They can actually think about giving some of these title favorite teams a good run for their money with Zion in the lineup. He’s a 6’6″ monster inside the paint, who can also shoot the ball from the distance. He’s a monster on the offensive end, and his defense is catching up as well.
If Zion stays healthy, the ceiling for the Pelicans is quite high.
