The New Orleans Pelicans appear destined to be in the NBA play-in tournament this season, currently the 9th seed in the Western Conference.
After a poor start that saw the team open 1-12, they’ve turned things around due, in part, to the acquisition of star guard CJ McCollum at the NBA trade deadline. McCollum has been excellent since his arrival, averaging 25.9 points in his 22 games with the team.
The Pelicans can be a really dangerous team in the postseason with the tandem of Brandon Ingram and McCollum, but they are certainly missing Zion Williamson’s contributions no matter what. Williamson has not played yet this season, dealing with complications from offseason foot surgery.
His return has been delayed several times this season with compounding issues, and injuries have unfortunately become a part of the narrative surrounding his career to this point.
While it was reported a couple of weeks back that Williamson is not expected to return this season, his stepdad Lee Anderson said that he believes that Zion will return at some point this year.
“I expect him to play. If you were to ask Zion, I’m sure he would probably say the same thing,” Anderson said while on The Jordy Curlotta Show. “But with just a couple of games left, with the magnitude of what’s going on in New Orleans and the opportunity to qualify for the play-in game and possibly get into a seven-game series, that would be off the charts in the city of New Orleans. That would be a plus for Zion with the way things are right now.
“Do I expect him to play? Certainly, I do. That’s on me, though. That’s purely me. I don’t think there’s anything else that would hinder him from doing that right now.”
Williamson has been cleared by the Pelicans to return to one-on-one work for the team, which is certainly a step in the right direction for the former All-Star.
He certainly looked very healthy when he posted a video on Instagram doing a between-the-leg dunk, but it’s likely an issue of working him back into game shape.
This topic has most likely been discussed between Williamson and the Pelicans training staff, but it would certainly make New Orleans an extremely dangerous team in the playoffs should Zion decide to return at some point.
[ESPN.com, The Jordy Curlotta Show]
