Williamson injured but still playing for Pelicans
Zion Williamson's long-awaited first playoff push with the New Orleans Pelicans won't be pain free.
Williamson injured a finger on his shooting hand while blocking a shot shortly before halftime of New Orleans' 117-108 loss to Orlando on Wednesday.
But some good news arrived on Thursday when coach Willie Green said after practice that Williamson's finger did not appear to have structural damage. Green added that Williamson would be listed as day to day on the club's injury report leading up to Friday night's game against San Antonio.
“Just banged it against the backboard really hard,” Williamson said.
Meanwhile, it's not clear if high-scoring wing Brandon Ingram, who's been sidelined since March 21 with a bone bruise in his left knee, will return before the end of the regular season. But the Pelicans can be hopeful about their stretch run as long as Williamson avoids the type of health issues that sidelined him for most of his first NBA career.
Williamson has played 65 games in 2023-24, more than any other regular season previously since being drafted first overall out of Duke in 2019. His average of nearly 23 points per game leads the team. He has looked as fit and spry as ever, running the floor and getting above the rim for alley-oop dunks on one end or to swat away shots on the other.
The Pelicans have made the Western Conference play-in twice and NBA playoffs once in the past two seasons, but Williamson was not healthy enough to play.
His form and fitness lately have contrasted sharply with most of his previous NBA seasons. He played in just 24 games as a rookie because of a knee injury and other conditioning concerns, missed all of his third season with a foot injury and was done after just 29 games last season because of a right hamstring strain. Williamson has missed just 11 games this season but none since Feb. 10 and has played in 26 straight games.
“It's just getting to that part of the season,” Williamson said recently. “Just trying to let my teammates know I'm here — I'm with y'all.”