The New Orleans Pelicans are fighting for a spot in the NBA playoffs and the prospect is not good for the team. They have suffered straight losses so far in the bubble games and many are wondering why Zion Williamson was hardly seen in the court. What could be wrong with the rookie sensation?
David Griffin, the Pelicans president of basketball operations, tried to make sense of why Williamson was sparingly used when New Orleans was hard-pressed to win as many games as possible and make the playoffs.
According to CBS Sports, the Pelicans deemed that the 20-year-old, who has been struggling with injuries, lacked the preparation time to play longer moments on the floor. Griffin reminded that at the start of the bubble setup, Williamson had to leave Orlando for a family emergency and that episode further pushed back the power forward's readiness.
Griffin made clear that despite the clamor and the need by New Orleans to start picking up wins, Williamson will not be pushed. It would seem that for the franchise, the long-term consideration is far more important than the team's immediate needs.
For the Pelicans star, the situation is certainly frustrating. He admitted that getting subbed just when he is starting to have a feel of the game is not welcome.
"I am a competitor and I want to stay on the court. When I come out of the game, my competitive side is telling me, 'I just want to stay in.' I guess that affects the fun a little bit, but not too much," Williamson was reported as saying.
Pundits can only guess that the Pelicans are just being over-protective of the young man. Already, Williamson was forced to skip a good amount of the season to recover from a serious injury and his team is just being cautious. The last thing that New Orleans wants is for the rookie to get hurt again and be out of action for a longer period.
However, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN has voiced out grave concern on the Williamson situation. The journalist argued it's hard to buy the narrative that the Pelicans are just preserving the star rookie for the bigger games ahead.
"When you look at a guy like Zion Williamson ... Something doesn't seem right and I'm concerned about him moving forward in terms of him being a bit injury prone. But in the same breath, he's 20," Fadeaway World reported Smith as saying.
Smith seemed to fear that something is holding back the Pelicans to make full use of Williamson's basketball talent on the court. It could be an injury that has yet to fully heal or the young man could be dealing with personal matters.
The concrete answers can only be supplied by New Orleans yet, for now, it is clear that as far as Williamson is concerned, the Pelicans will not gamble on the player getting hurt again, which could end his career abruptly.
