Thursday update: It appears to be a finger injury Williamson actually suffered Wednesday, and he’s considered day-to-day. X-rays were negative, so this is likely a sprain rather than a potential fracture. In the grand scheme of things, this is a huge sigh of relief for the Pelicans given Williamson’s history with leg injuries. A finger issue is something he can play through if the stakes a high enough, such as a playoff series. If New Orleans can lock up a playoff spot before the last few games of the regular season, Williamson might get some much-needed rest.
Update: Williamson is back in the game, which is a great sign for New Orleans. The Pelicans are down double digits with a little over a full quarter left so we’ll see if they can make a comeback with Williamson back on the floor.
Update: Williamson has returned to the bench for the Pelicans, which is a positive sign regarding his injury. There’s just one quarter left so we’ll see if New Orleans plays its star forward in this game or rests him.
New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson went to the locker room Wednesday against the Orlando Magic after appearing to suffer a leg injury. Williamson was caught by Gary Harris on a loose ball and it looked like the New Orleans star was holding his knee. At the time he left the game, Williamson had 11 points, three assists and two rebounds.
Zion Williamson went to the locker room during that timeout.
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) April 4, 2024
Gary Harris slipped while going for a steal and dove into his knees a few possessions ago.
This is a serious development for the Pelicans, who have already lost Brandon Ingram for at least another week due to a bone bruise in his knee. Williamson has dealt with plenty of leg issues in the past, but the timing of this potential injury comes at a particularly bad time. New Orleans is in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture, sitting a game up on the Kings for the sixth and final automatic playoff spot as of this writing.
If Williamson is ruled out for the rest of the game, look for CJ McCollum to take over as the team’s primary offensive option with Trey Murphy and Jonas Valanciunas also seeing more touches. If Williamson misses more time, Larry Nance Jr. and Naji Marshall could see more minutes in the rotation but Valanciunas would be the team’s most reliable big man. McCollum would see an increase in usage, as would Murphy and Herbert Jones.