It’s no secret that the New Orleans Pelicans were once the first seed in the West, and their free fall down the standings has been truly epic to behold. But even after more drama and uncertainty surrounding Zion and the season at large, the Pelicans still have a chance to book a ticket to the playoffs, where they hope a return from Williamson could tip the scales in their favor.
Unfortunately for the Pels, there is increasing pessimism that he’ll even be back for the first round at all (if they even get that far).
“The hamstring might be feeling good but from a conditioning perspective, he has not been able to bridge that gap between conditioning, his basketball shape, and everything that goes into being Zion Williamson,” said Shams Charania. “Being 6’6, the frame that he has, conditioning is always something he has to watch. So, his conditioning is just not there and from what I’m told the Pelicans don’t think Zion Williamson is even close to getting back on the floor.”
"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
After major struggles in wake of Zion’s injury, the Pelicans fought their way back into play-in contention, and have actually looked solid in recent weeks thanks to an offensive explosion from Brandon Ingram.
But without Zion, there’s only so far the Pelicans can go and they will never reach their true potential as a team.
Should The Pelicans Consider Moving On From Zion?
There’s no doubt that Zion’s injuries have been a major stumbling block for both Zion and the Pelicans organization, who have dedicated their resources to building a contender around him.
Still, considering how these past few years have played out, one has to wonder about his long-term future with the organization…
“I would actually trade Zion,” said Kendrick Perkins. “Can you trust him to be your franchise guy? Since he came in the league, no. You can’t trust that he’s gonna be available on the floor… This is starting to be a trend.”
Obviously, the Pelicans aren’t thinking along those lines right now and are only doing what they feel is best for Zion. But if he continues to struggle to stay in shape, it’s going to hold his team back in major ways.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
