Update: Williamson is back to start the second half, so he’s good to go at the moment and is playing through the wrist issue. That’s a great sign for the Pelicans, who can take a huge step towards securing an automatic playoff berth with a win over Sacramento Thursday.
New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson went to the locker room after appearing to suffer a wrist injury in Thursday’s game against the Sacramento Kings. He was already previous working through a finger injury and now has another issue to deal with. At the time he left the game, Williamson had eight points, four assists and three rebounds.
Zion Williamson is back in the locker room after appearing to injure his left hand/wrist. He was already dealing with an injury to the middle finger on his left hand. https://t.co/K90cCwDdPY
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) April 12, 2024
This is obviously a massive blow for the Pelicans, who were already without Brandon Ingram Thursday. Ingram plans to return to action Sunday, so at least he should be back. Williamson has dealt with numerous injuries over the years but none have come at this point in the season so close to the playoffs. The Pelicans are still able to capture the last automatic playoff spot in the West, which would give Williamson some additional time to rest. They do have a lead in this game against Sacramento as of this writing, so that’s a positive sign.
If Williamson is unable to return to this game, CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy will become the primary scoring options for New Orleans. Jonas Valanciunas likely takes on a bigger role in the frontcourt, but he’s probably going to make his impact felt more defensively and on the boards. If Williamson is out for more than just this game, it likely takes the Pelicans out of title contention depending on the length of the absence. Even with Ingram coming back, Williamson is the key for New Orleans to be a considered a title contender.