After a long, exciting, yet ultimately disappointing season, the New Orleans Pelicans are set to face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in this week’s play-in tournament.
They will be doing so without their biggest star.
Zion Williamson injured himself in January and has yet to play a game since due to a serious hamstring issue.
Fans were hoping that he’d be back for some part of the playoffs, but that doesn’t sound likely.
“From what I’m told the Pelicans don’t think Zion Williamson is even close to getting back on the floor,” Shams Charania said on the Pat McAfee Show.
"From what I'm told the Pelicans don't think Zion Williamson is even close to getting back on the floor..
There's no expectation from the Pelicans that he'll be on the court at any point in the first round of the playoffs" ~ @ShamsCharania#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/svgpsQ9ZN6
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 10, 2023
Charania added that “there’s no expectation from the Pelicans that he’ll be on the court at any point in the first round of the playoffs.”
There is hope that Williamson perhaps begins practicing during the opening round but even that isn’t guaranteed, according to the ace reporter.
He said that the hamstring injury may be closed to healed but the big man hasn’t “bridged the gap” between his conditioning, basketball shape, and “everything that goes into being Zion Williamson.”
Williamson was initially set to miss six weeks due to his hamstring problem but that was back in January.
He experienced several setbacks and re-aggravations and his return date was repeatedly delayed.
Williamson will once again miss most of the season due to an injury.
Despite all of his talent and potential, this problem continues to repeat.
If the Pelicans don’t make the playoffs, do they consider changing their approach to the former number-one draft pick?
Williamson was supposed to be the future of the franchise but has he just become a liability?
NEXT: Analyst Points Out A Stunning Zion Williamson Statistic