Pelicans' Zion Williamson still sidelined, likely to miss play-in tournament

Updated Apr 7, 2023 11:26 am ET

Fans expecting Zion Williamson to return to game action will still be waiting, at least for the time being.

Williamson is unlikely to be available to play for the New Orleans Pelicans if and when the team makes the Western Conference play-in tournament as expected, according to The Athletic.

The Pelicans previously announced Thursday that Williamson will remain sidelined with two games to go in New Orleans' regular-season slate.

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"After further evaluation, it has been determined that Zion Williamson will continue his rehabilitation and conditioning regimen," Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said in a statement. "We will continue to monitor his progression, and updates will be provided as warranted."

Thursday's update came two weeks after he was cleared to return to basketball activities. 

Williamson has been out since Jan. 2 due to a hamstring injury and suffered a setback in February. Pelicans coach Willie Green said when Williamson returned to on-court activities on March 22 that it was a possibility the two-time All-Star forward could return to action after two weeks.

Obviously, that did not end up being the case, so the Pelicans will likely have to fight for a playoff berth without Williamson. They enter Thursday's NBA slate with a 41-39 record, good enough for eighth place in the Western Conference with two games to go. They're only a game back of the LA Clippers for the fifth seed and a game back of the Golden State Warriors for the sixth seed, so there's a chance that they can reach the playoffs without having to participate in the play-in tournament.

But there's also a possibility that the Pelicans could be passed in the standings before the end of the regular season. The Minnesota Timberwolves are only a game back of the Pelicans and New Orleans faces them on the road in Sunday's regular-season finale. If the Timberwolves pass the Pelicans in the standings, they'll have to win two games in the play-in tournament instead of just one game if they remain in the eighth spot. 

Williamson was having the best season of his four-year career prior to the injury. He was scoring 26 points per game while shooting 60.8% from the field and 36.8% from deep, adding seven rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.