Zion

Williamson

If Williamson plays during this postseason, it will require the Pelicans to make it out of the first round. They’re currently down 0-2 to the top-seeded Thunder and lost by 32 points on Wednesday. Anything can happen in the playoffs, but it seems like Zion’s next game will be their season opener in October.

Williamson feasted in Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers, going off for a game-high 40 points to go with 11 rebounds. He got to the basket with ease all night and led New Orleans’ furious late-game rally. He limped off the court following a made bucket with three minutes left to play, and the Lakers came away with the victory. New Orleans is now faced with a do-or-die matchup against Sacramento on Friday. The winner will advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the loser will be eliminated from playoff contention. Williamson’s absence should open up extra minutes for Trey Murphy III and Naji Marshall.

Williamson was outstanding on Tuesday, but unfortunately, he was not on the court in crunch time. Following a made basket with 3:19 remaining that tied the game at 95, the Pelicans star walked back to the locker room. While the landing on the shot did not appear awkward, Williamson tweaked something, and that would be the end of his night. According to Pelicans coach Willie Green, he’s dealing with soreness in his left leg and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday. The Pelicans can’t afford to lose Williamson ahead of Friday’s game against the Warriors or Kings. If he cannot play, Trey Murphy (12/4/2/1/1 with two 3-pointers in 31 minutes) would move into the starting lineup.

Zion had a rough shooting night and failed to make much of an impact as a scorer. Fortunately for fantasy managers, he buoyed his poor offense with strong rebounds, assists and defensive contributions. Williamson finished the 2023-24 season with 22.9 points, 5.8 boards, 5.0 dimes, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks while shooting 57.0% from the floor. The rebounds and FG% are career lows, but the assists are a career high, and most importantly, so are the games played. Williamson appeared in 70 contests after playing fewer than 30 in two of his first three campaigns, so NBA fans and fantasy managers alike are hopeful this is the start of a new trend of availability. He’ll be back in action Tuesday for the first game of the Play-In Tournament in a rematch with the Lakers.

The Pelicans moved one step closer to securing the 6-seed in the West, hanging on to beat the Warriors after outscoring them 45-22 in the second quarter. Williamson’s six steals were a career-high, and he’s scored at least 22 points in four straight games. Brandon Ingram is expected to return from a knee injury on Sunday, giving the Pelicans another playmaker/scorer within the starting lineup. New Orleans finishes its regular season schedule with a home game against the Lakers.

Williamson returned to the locker room late in the second quarter after breaking his fall with his already-injured left hand. The good news was that he returned to the court to begin the third quarter, albeit with his left thumb taped. The Kings still did not have an answer for Williamson, who repeatedly attacked the Kings’ defense off the bounce. Of course, when CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy combine to shoot 15-of-24 from three, the driving lanes get wider. The Pelicans must win their final two games to ensure themselves of the 6-seed in the West.

Williamson has scored 22 points or more in seven of his last eight games, but the foul line has limited his fantasy value recently. Zion has made 67.2% of his attempts over the past two weeks and is ranked outside the top 150 in 8-cat formats. It’s been more of a struggle in 9-cat, with an average of 3.0 turnovers per game also factoring into Williamson sitting outside the top 200. Of greater importance to the Pelicans is that their win pushed them ahead of Phoenix (which lost to the Clippers) into 6th in the West, the final spot that guarantees a playoff spot.

Performances like this are what Williamson is capable of. Back in the lineup after sitting out Friday’s loss to the Spurs with a finger injury, he was highly impactful on both ends of the floor in Phoenix. While the four turnovers weren’t great, the overall production made up for that issue. Larry Nance Jr. was also productive as a playmaker for the Pelicans, who dished out seven assists to go along with nine points, eight rebounds, three steals, and one blocked shot in 31 minutes. Due to the play of Nance and Williamson, starting center Jonas Valanciunas only played four minutes. With JV set to be a free agent in the summer, Nance could have added fantasy value in 2024-25.

Williamson is back after a one-game absence, while Alvarado has not played since March 26. The former’s return means Dyson Daniels will come off the bench, where he offers limited fantasy value at best. Alvarado gives the Pelicans a true point guard to back up CJ McCollum, but fantasy managers should not expect too much from him in his first game back.

Williamson was injured during Wednesday’s loss to the Magic and did not play in Friday’s loss to San Antonio. His ability to practice on Saturday is a positive development, and the Pelicans forward is considered day-to-day moving forward. Dyson Daniels should remain in the starting lineup if Williamson cannot play in Sunday’s game against the Suns.