New Orleans Pelicans superstar forward Zion Williamson has been limited in his playing time over the course of two games in the NBA re-start, and according to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, Williamson was “pissed” about his minute restrictions.
However, there seems to be a deeper level of concern within the organization regarding Williamson continuing to play this season.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Pelicans have been extreme;y cautious when it comes to putting Williamson on the court.
“When you watch him play, he clearly is not in condition to compete at the highest level,” Windhorst said, during The Hoop Collective podcast.
“As I watched him play two games, I don’t actually think they should have played him at all the way he’s playing. In fact, I talked to a scout who said to me he shouldn’t be out there right in the condition he’s in. He said to me he’s moving worse than he did in Summer League last summer when he got hurt in his first or second game.
“I don’t know if that’s because he’s out of condition or if he has something that they’re not discussing, but this is one of the things the Pelicans have to deal with. This is a guy with a history of knee injuries. This is not right, either because of conditioning or because of something else.
“This is exactly what happened with Jonathan Isaac, this is why these teams are so protective of these young players.”
Williamson’s playing time will be an ongoing storyline as the season moves on, with the Pelicans slated to play the Los Angeles Clippers
