Zion Williamson Ruled Out For 2023 Play-In Tournament
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been ruled out for the NBA’s Play-In Tournament, according to Shams Charania. Williamson has not played since Jan. 2 because of a strained hamstring, which he reaggravated near the All-Star break.
Pelicans fans and Williamson have to be frustrated at this point. Williamson has been injured for a large portion of his four-year NBA career, after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2019. The good news is that the Pels did not rule out Williamson for a potential first-round matchup, assuming New Orleans advances past the Play-In.
Williamson’s NBA career has been riddled with injuries. He only played 24 games in his rookie season, 2019-20. The next year he played for a career-high 61 games. Williamson did not play a single game because of a nagging foot injury in 2021-22. This season, Williamson played in 29 games before his hamstring injury. That’s a grand total of 114 games played out of a potential 328 games, good for a 34.76% playing rate, a stat I just created.
When he is on the court, Williamson is a dominant player. This season may have been his best since he went down, averaging 26 points, 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Those averages were all career highs.
Pelicans’ Play-In Outlook
The Pelicans currently sit at 41-39, in eighth place in a crowded Western Conference. With two games remaining, New Orleans hasn’t clinched the eighth spot, but they have clinched a playoff birth. As it stands today, the Pelicans would face the Lakers in the Play-In Tournament.
New Orleans has won eight of their last 10 to secure a play-in spot. They’ll play the Knicks on Friday, and then look to stave off the Timberwolves on Sunday, the final game of the season. Minnesota sits just one game behind New Orleans for the eighth spot.
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