‘Is Zion Williamson playing tonight’ has been a constant question for Pelicans fans in the Bubble with the rookie always on a minutes restriction.
Advertisement
Zion Williamson hasn’t been allowed to set the stage on fire in the NBA Bubble in Orlando. The knee injury that he suffered early on in the season is still playing on the minds of the Pelicans and they want to address it with utmost care.
Thus, he has been on a minutes restriction all along. However, the Pelicans have gone a step further now.
Is Zion Williamson playing tonight?
The New Orleans Pelicans will rest their rookie power forward Zion Williamson tonight in their back-to-back set of games against the Washington Wizards.
Also Read: NBA play in tournament: What is the NBA Play in event in Orlando Bubble?
The move has been implemented in order to not rush Zion into a lot of NBA action. With a Pelicans game held just last night, the management feels that Zion shouldn’t really feature tonight.
In last night’s game against the Sacramento Kings, he scored 22 points, 2 assists and grabbed 2 rebounds in the 24 minutes he played.
The move however comes as a massive surprise, considering the fact that Pelicans are still in the hunt for a playoff spot and desperately need a win tonight.
Zion (rest) is out for tonight’s game
Injury Report: https://t.co/wTtwaPqGqG#Pelicans | @MorrisBartLLC pic.twitter.com/s9tRHFKOpJ
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) August 7, 2020
It could very well be that the Pelicans have actually given up on that play-in tournament. Or the fact that they feel they should get by Wizards tonight without the services of Zion.
They could be saving Zion for the last few games and hoping that this rest gives him the opportunity to play without a minutes restriction.
Also Read: NBA games today: Wizards vs Pelicans TV Schedule; Where to watch NBA 2020 season restart
Every game is a must-win for the Pelicans. They cannot afford any more mistakes. Beating the Wizards should be an easy task, but without Zion Williamson, there is no guarantee.