Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Never cleared for 5-on-5
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Pelicans executive David Griffin said Friday that Williamson (hamstring) was never cleared for 5-on-5 or even full-court 3-on-3 work before the Pelicans' Play-In Matchup against the Thunder, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com reports.
After a video of Williamson dunking during pre-game warmups went viral, rumors and accusations swirled about the former No. 1 overall pick's willingness to return to the court despite appearing healthy. However, Griffin put those notions to rest by saying the Pelicans hadn't cleared Williamson for full-contact practices, let alone game action, so that's why he wasn't available for the Play-In Game loss. Injuries continue to be the main storyline to start Williamson's career, but when he's been on the court, the Duke product has proven to be an All-NBA talent, posting 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals across 29 appearances during the 2022-23 campaign.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Could miss first round of playoffs
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The Pelicans don't believe Williamson (hamstring) is close to returning to game action, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Williamson has already been ruled out for the Play-In Tournament, and there's been no indication from the Pelicans that he'd be able to suit up during the first round of the playoffs if the team advances. The 22-year-old recently progressed to low-intensity 3-on-3 scrimmaging, but he's had some trouble translating his conditioning into basketball shape, per Charania. Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said Friday that the "best possible outcome" would be Williamson returning to full practices during the first round of the playoffs, so it seems highly unlikely that the Duke product would be available for game action unless the Pelicans go on a postseason run.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Not close to game action
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Williamson (hamstring) has been ruled out for the Play-In Tournament, and Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said Friday that the best possible outcome would be the superstar forward returning to full practices during the first round of a potential playoff series, Erin Summers of Bally Sports New Orleans reports.
New Orleans still has two regular-season games remaining and could potentially jump all the way to the fifth seed or drop to the ninth seed, so there's still plenty to play for. However, if the Pelicans fall into the Play-In, they'll be without Williamson, and even if they were to advance to the first round, the 2019 No. 1 overall pick would likely remain sidelined for at least the first few games of the series. Per Christian Clark of The New Orleans Times-Picayune, Williamson still isn't practicing, and Griffin added that he'd need to go through multiple full-activity sessions before being cleared for game action. Based on Griffin's comments, it sounds like the most realistic chance for Williamson to play again this season is if New Orleans makes a deep run in the playoffs, though his return still wouldn't be guaranteed if that happens.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Likely unavailable for Play-In
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Williamson (hamstring) isn't expected to be available for the NBA Play-In Tournament, which takes place from April 11-14, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
The news is hardly a surprise after Pelicans president of basketball operations David Griffin said Thursday that the 22-year-old remains without a timeline for his return and "will continue his rehabilitation and conditioning regimen." Should New Orleans advance, Williamson also seems unlikely to be available for the first round of the NBA Playoffs, which begin April 15.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Remains without a timetable
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Williamson (hamstring) remains without a timetable to return.
Williamson has been out since Jan. 4 due to his hamstring injury, and while he has been slowly ramping up his workload, it doesn't seem like he's close to getting back to the floor. "After further evaluation, it has been determined that [Williamson] will continue his rehabilitation and conditioning regimen," said Pelicans' president of basketball operations, David Griffin, during Thursday's press conference. "We will continue to monitor his progression and updates will be provided as warranted." It doesn't sound like Williamson will be appearing in New Orleans' final two regular-season games, but perhaps he'll be able to get back at some point during the playoffs.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Still out Friday
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Williamson (hamstring) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Knicks.
Williamson hasn't played since early January due to his hamstring injury, but he took part in low-intensity 3-on-3 scrimmaging last week. While he's been trending in the right direction recently, it's unclear whether he'll be available for Sunday's regular-season finale against Minnesota or the Play-In Tournament next week.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Slowly ramping up
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Williamson (hamstring) took part in some low-intensity 3-on-3 scrimmaging last week, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Monday during his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show".
Williamson is scheduled to be re-evaluated prior to Wednesday's game against the Grizzlies, but it's unclear if the Pelicans plan to provide the media with an update regarding where he stands in his recovery from the right hamstring injury that has sidelined him for just over three months. Charania noted that the Pelicans plan to be cautious with Williamson and make sure that he feels fine from a conditioning standpoint before having him play, so at this stage, the big man looks unlikely to suit up in either of the team's two remaining regular-season games following Wednesday's contest.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Sidelined at least two more weeks
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Williamson (hamstring) has been cleared for on-court activities and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
While Williamson has seemingly taken a step forward in his recovery, the star big man is effectively ruled out for the remainder of the regular season. Depending on how the re-evaluation goes in two weeks, there is a chance Williamson could make an appearance at the end of the regular season or early in the postseason, should the Pelicans secure a spot, but he would likely be heavily restricted after a multi-month absence.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Out at least two more weeks
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The Pelicans announced Wednesday that Williamson's strained right hamstring continues to heal, but he'll be re-evaluated in two weeks before the team decides his next steps.
New Orleans' most recent report on Williamson similarly indicated that he was making good progress, and though a recent MRI reportedly showed improved healing, the team is still unwilling to commit to a precise target date for the big man to resume playing. Even if Williamson is cleared to resume on-court activity following his upcoming two-week re-evaluation, he probably won't be fully ramped up until April, meaning that managers in redraft leagues that end relatively soon should feel comfortable with dropping him. Williamson last played Jan. 2 and has appeared in only 29 games this season.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Making good progress
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Williamson (right hamstring strain) is making good progress and will undergo an MRI next week, ESPN's Andrew Lopez reports.
Williamson hasn't seen the floor since Jan. 2 and suffered a setback Feb. 12. The latest report from the Pelicans is positive, and there should be a better idea of his timetable after his MRI. In the meantime, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram will see elevated usage and Josh Richardson will continue to be a big factor in his new role.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Suffers setback, out indefinitely
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Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said Sunday that Williamson aggravated his right hamstring injury and will be sidelined for several more weeks, Christian Clark of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Williamson, who last played Jan. 2, had recently progressed to 3-on-3 work in practice and was expected to be re-evaluated during the All-Star break, but he'll now be sidelined at least through the end of February and quite likely the first half of March, if not longer. The 2019 No. 1 overall pick has missed 169 games -- and counting -- while playing in only 114 contests since being drafted. If he doesn't play in at least 12 more games this season, he'll have missed the majority of the regular season in three of his first four NBA campaigns. Injuries have certainly been the prevailing narrative of Williamson's career so far, but when available, he's been nothing short of an All-NBA talent. In his prolonged absence, the seventh-place Pelicans will continue to rely heavily on CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram. Williamson may have a chance to return to action when the fantasy playoffs begin in many leagues, but managers in redraft formats may be better off dropping him in favor of a healthy player in light of his latest setback.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Officially out through break
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Pelicans head coach Willie Green confirmed Tuesday that Williamson (hamstring) will sit out the team's final three games before the All-Star Game and will be re-evaluated during the midseason break, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com reports.
By the time the Pelicans play their first game of the second half Feb. 23, Williamson will have missed 22 consecutive absences. Injuries remain the prevailing narrative of Williamson's career, as the 2019 No. 1 overall pick has appeared in just 114 games in the four years since joining the league. Another update on where he stands in his recovery and how close he might be to playing should be provided after the All-Star festivities.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Unlikely to play before break
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Williamson (hamstring) is not expected to play before the All-Star break, Will Guillory of The Athletic reports.
An official update regarding Williamson may emerge soon, but coach Willie Green said he doesn't anticipate having the Opening Night starting five before the All-Star break -- obviously hinting where Williamson stands in his recovery. Assuming that's the case, his next chance to play would arrive Feb. 23 in Toronto. Williamson last played Jan. 2 against the 76ers and is averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.0 minutes this season.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Another re-evaluation in two weeks
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The Pelicans announced Tuesday that Williamson (hamstring) will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Williamson was previously re-evaluation this week, with the Pelicans determining that his strained right hamstring was healing as expected. Despite that positive development, Williamson will still need further time to strengthen his hamstring and progress to more movement, which he'll do over the next two weeks before the Pelicans decide on his next steps. Naji Marshall (toe), Jaxson Hayes and others should continue filling Williamson's vacated frontcourt minutes. Based on the upcoming re-evaluation, Williamson now looks to be in store for a return in the second week of February in a best-case scenario, but it wouldn't be surprising if the Pelicans elected to hold him out through the All-Star break.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Sidelined at least three weeks
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Williamson (hamstring) will be re-evaluated in three weeks.
Williamson underwent an MRI on his right hamstring earlier in the day, and it appears the issue is severe enough to warrant at least three weeks on the sidelines. During the big man's absence, Naji Marshall, Jaxson Hayes and others figure to benefit with additional playing time.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Facing multi-week absence
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Williamson (hamstring) is expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Williamson underwent an MRI of the hamstring earlier in the day, and the results don't appear to be favorable. The star big man has a history of lengthy injuries through just three years in the league and will now add another one to the list. Naji Marshall seems the likely candidate to benefit most in his absence.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Won't play Wednesday
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Williamson (hamstring) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against Houston, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com reports.
Williamson left Monday's contest in the third quarter due to a hamstring injury and will remain sidelined for at least one additional game. Head coach Willie Green said Tuesday that he doesn't have an update on imaging yet, so further details on Williamson's injury and potential return timeline should be available when those test results are released. However, it's unclear when that'll be.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Exits Monday with hamstring strain
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Williamson suffered a right hamstring strain and won't return to Monday's contest against the 76ers, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
The big man exited in the third quarter with the injury, finishing the night with 26 points (10-12 FG, 6-8 FT), seven assists and six rebounds in 28 minutes before departing. While the extent of the injury is unknown, it wouldn't be surprising if Williamson was forced to miss at least one additional game. If Williamson is sidelined for any period of time, the likes of Naji Marshall, Larry Nance, Jaxson Hayes and Willy Hernangomez could all help fill his minutes to some degree. New Orleans retakes the floor Wednesday against the Rockets, but Williamson's status for that contest likely won't be known until the Pelicans release their next injury report.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Drops 43 points on Minnesota
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Williamson notched a career-high 43 points (14-21 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 14-19 FT) to go with five assists, three rebounds, one block and one steal over 34 minutes during Wednesday's 119-118 win over the Timberwolves.
Williamson didn't miss a beat Wednesday after missing the last three contests while returning to competition conditioning and working through the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols. As usual, Williamson was hyper-efficient from the field, and he converted his season-high 19 free-throw rates at an acceptable rate as well. Williamson also made his mark on the defensive end by registering a block for the third time in his last four appearances.
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Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Officially available Wednesday
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Williamson (conditioning) is available Wednesday against Minnesota.
Williamson sat out the last three games due to a combination of the league's health and safety protocols and return to competition conditioning. However, he practiced Tuesday and has been cleared for game action Wednesday. He averaged 40.3 minutes per game over his three appearances prior to his absence, but his playing time may be monitored during his first game back.
