1 Zion Williamson SF

Williamson (knee) is out for Thursday's finale against the Magic.

Williamson's rookie season has unceremoniously come to a close. Overall, despite missing most of the season while recovering from a torn meniscus, Williamson's campaign should be considered a success. In his 27.8 minutes per game, he averaged 22.5 points on 15.0 shots, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Williamson will undoubtedly be a high draft pick in fantasy leagues next season, though he needs to improve his passing, free-throw shooting and defense to become a top-flight fantasy contributor.

Williamson is listed as out for Tuesday's game against Sacramento due to a sore right knee.

With the Pelicans officially eliminated from postseason contention, this isn't overly surprising -- especially considering both Jrue Holiday (elbow) and Brandon Ingram (knee) will also be held out Tuesday. After that contest, New Orleans has just one more game in the bubble, so it's very possible Williamson could be held out of that contest (Thursday vs. Orlando), as well.

Williamson had 25 points (10-20 FG, 5-6 FT) and seven rebounds in Sunday's loss to San Antonio.

The No. 1 overall pick continues to rack up points at a historic rate, but he was rather inefficient -- by his standards -- Sunday, hitting only half of his attempts, all of which came from two-point range. In 27 minutes of action, Williamson was a team-worst minus-21, and he failed to record a block or a steal for the fifth straight game.

Williamson will sit out Friday's game against the Wizards for rest, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

The Pelicans continue to play it safe with Williamson, keeping him out on the second game of a back-to-back. In his absence, we could see more usage funnel to Brandon Ingram, while Jaxson Hayes, Nicolo Melli and JJ Redick could also see more action.

Williamson recorded 24 points (10-12 FG, 4-7 FT), two rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes during Thursday's 140-125 loss to the Pelicans.

Williamson has now totaled 47 points, nine rebounds and seven assists across his past 46 minutes of basketball, so he appears to be in good shape. While his rebounding was subpar Thursday, there weren't a lot of opportunities to crash the glass considering the Kings made 53.8 percent of their 93 field goals.

Williamson registered 23 points (9-21 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 5-10 FT), seven rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes during Monday's 109-99 win over the Grizzlies.

Judging by his playing time, the Duke product seems to be getting healthier; he registered 29 minutes combined during the Pelicans' first two games since the restart. Williamson's scoring and rebounding ability are undeniable, so he remains a strong play across most formats, but much of his value going forward will likely be determined by his playing time.

Coach Alvin Gentry indicated pregame that Williamson will likely play one "burst" per quarter Monday against the Grizzlies, Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian reports.

What, exactly, defines a "burst" remains to be seen, but it sounds like Williamson will again be limited Monday as he has been through the Pels' first two seeding games. He played just 15 minutes in the opener against Utah on Thursday and followed up with 14 minutes in Saturday's lopsided loss to the Clippers. Williamson is still capable of scoring and rebounding at a high rate, but his upside in DFS contests is limited so long as the Pelicans continue to restrict his minutes.

Williamson managed seven points (3-7 FG, 1-2 FT) and five rebounds in 14 minutes during Saturday's 126-103 loss to the Clippers.

Williamson earned one less minute in this one than he did in the team's first official game of the restart on Thursday versus the Jazz, in which he scored 13 points in 15 minutes. Williamson had a rough night versus the Clippers, as he didn't provide his usual efficient scoring and also committed three turnovers. There's a decent chance he remains on a minutes limit during Monday's matchup versus Memphis as well.

Williamson is remaining on a minutes limit for Saturday's game against the Clippers and may also be limited Monday against the Grizzlies, Will Guillory of The Athletic reports.

Williamson returned to the bubble earlier in the week after tending to a family emergency. The team limited his minutes during Thursday's restart opener, and he posted 13 points and one assist in 15 minutes. The organization will continue to remain cautious with its young star as he gets his fitness back.

Williamson (coach's decision) will play in short bursts Thursday against the Jazz, Malika Andrews of ESPN.com reports.

Williamson apparently felt good enough in pregame warmups, but his minutes will be limited since he recently returned to the bubble after attending to a family matter. He's played fewer than 30 minutes seven times this season, but still managed to average 22.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in those contests.

Williamson (coach's decision) will go through pregame warmups before a decision is made regarding his status for Thursday's opener against the Jazz, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com reports.

Zion will be a game-time call for Thursday's action and could be on a minute limit even if he does play. Coach Alvin Gentry noted that if Zion is out, Nico Melli would draw the start at power forward.

Williamson could face a minutes restriction if he's cleared to play Thursday against Utah, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports.

The Pelicans still have not made an official ruling on Williamson's status, but Haynes noted that he expect the rookie to be cleared to play. However, coach Alvin Gentry implied earlier in the day Thursday that Williamson -- who will go through warmups before a decision is made -- could be limited in his first game action since March. Williamson missed all three of the Pelicans' scrimmages due to an undisclosed personal matter.

Williamson (coach's decision) took part in the Pelicans' morning shootaround, but his status for Thursday's game against the Jazz has yet to be determined, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reports.

A day earlier, coach Alvin Gentry labeled Williamson a game-time call for the Pelicans' first contest of the NBA season restart in Orlando, and there's no indication yet that the rookie's status has changed at this point. Since Williamson has missed most of the Pelicans' workouts and all of the team's scrimmages in Orlando after leaving the bubble for a little over a week, he likely remains well behind his teammates from a conditioning standpoint. Even if Williamson gains clearance to play Thursday, he'll likely be subjected to some sort of minutes restriction.

Williamson is considered a game-time decision for Thursday's matchup against Utah, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports.

Williamson returned to the bubble earlier this week after departing to deal with a personal matter, and while he was able to go through light practices Tuesday and Wednesday, the Pelicans will exercise caution with their prized rookie. Williamson appeared in only 19 games prior to the shutdown in March, and his absence from the bubble meant that he missed all three of the Pelicans' scrimmages.

Williamson (personal) did some light work during Tuesday's practice but did not participate in five-on-five, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reports. The Pelicans will evaluate him more Wednesday.

Williamson was recently cleared from his quarantine period and went through a light practice. It's not not clear if he'll play in Thursday's opener, but it sounds like we'll learn more Wednesday.

Williamson (personal) has cleared his quarantine and is returning to practice with the Pelicans on Tuesday evening, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Williamson returned to Orlando on Friday night after leaving due to a family emergency. He'll practice Tuesday night, and it seems likely he'll be able to play in Thursday's opener against the Jazz. Official confirmation of his availability for that game may arrive sometime Wednesday.

Williamson (personal) is expected to return to practice with the Pelicans on Wednesday, Malika Andrews of ESPN reports.

Williamson returned to Orlando on Friday night after leaving the NBA bubble for an excused, family-related absence. He's currently in the midst of a mandatory four-day quarantine, after which he'll be cleared to return to the team. Assuming he's able to get a full practice in on Wednesday, Williamson could be on track to suit up for the Pelicans' first seeding game on Thursday night against Utah.

Williamson is enduring a four-day quarantine that began Friday night and is expected to rejoin the Pelicans ahead of Thursday's opener against the Jazz, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Williamson will presumably have to return two additional negative COVID-19 test results while quarantining. The star rookie returned to the league's Orlando bubble on Friday after leaving for a personal reason. As a result, he will not be available for Saturday's scrimmage against the Nuggets or Monday's versus the Bucks. However, barring any setbacks he should be good to go when the restart officially tips off on Thursday.

Williamson (personal) returned to the NBA bubble Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Williamson left the bubble last Thursday due to an urgent family matter, and he's made his return following multiple negative tests for COVID-19. Now in Orlando, he'll presumably have to quarantine in his room for roughly 48 hours and return two additional negative COVID-19 test results. Once that happens, Williamson will be free to practice with the Pelicans. He will certainly not be participating in Saturday's scrimmage against the Nuggets, but he might be able to take the court for the final scrimmage Monday against the Bucks. More information on his availability for that scrimmage and the first seeding game Thursday against the Jazz should arrive once he clears protocol.

Williamson (personal) has been getting tested daily for coronavirus and continues to produce negative results, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Williamson is away from the Pelicans while attending to a personal matter, but he fully intends to rejoin the team, and getting tested for COVID-19 is part of that process. It remains unclear exactly when he'll come back. For now, he should be considered questionable for New Orleans' seeding opener against the Jazz on July 30.