Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry hasn’t spoken to Zion Williamson since he left Orlando for an “urgent family medical matter,” and there’s no timetable for the star rookie to return to the team, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Few details have emerged about Williamson’s situation since the announcement was made Thursday. Williamson will likely have to be quarantined for at least four days once he returns to the Walt Disney World Complex.
“Basically, we’re going to do our best to hold it down for him until he gets back, whenever that is,” J.J. Redick said on his latest podcast. “As a teammate, he’s a family member. We’ll do our best to keep this thing rolling. But obviously whatever is going on, we want the best for him. I feel awful for him because so much of this season has been a roller coaster for him. It seemed like he was in such a good place. Hopefully we get him back here soon.”
There’s more on the Pelicans, all courtesy of Vardon:
- Redick, who turned 36 last month, talked about the strain placed on older players by stopping and restarting the season. In addition to the four-month hiatus, the league is hoping to begin next season in December, which would result in an unusually short offseason. “I feel good still. I feel like I have years left in my body,” Redick said. “As many of you know who have children and have a family, as they get older and you start missing milestones, it becomes harder to be away from them. I think as an athlete you want to have some sort of storybook ending. Most of us don’t get to have that. When you get towards the end, at least my thought process is as I get towards the end you sort of examine things in the moment. And, yeah, there’s uncertainty about next season and maybe even beyond that, it’s in the back of my mind about how much longer I want to play.”
- With NBA awards to be based only on games already played, Gentry is campaigning for Brandon Ingram to be named Most Improved Player. Ingram posted career highs with 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists and helped New Orleans stay in the playoff race while Williamson was sidelined.
- Gentry raved about the steps the league has taken to create a real-game atmosphere for the restart. The Pelicans will be part of the first game, facing the Jazz on TNT. “I think everybody assumed we were just going to play in an empty arena and you’re going to hear the balls bouncing and the officials talking,” he said, “but I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised when you see the atmosphere we’re going to be playing in.”
Ingram seems to the favorite to win Most Improved, but don’t sleep on Christian Wood. Obviously, Wood isn’t nearly as talented, but if we’re measuring overall growth, the latter transformed from bench warmer to potential starter over the course of the season
There is only one choice – Luka.
He went from a rookie to a legit MVP candidate, with much better numbers tham Ingram, Siakam and others
It’s not necessarily about the best overall player. Doncic already looked pretty beastly in his rookie campaign. Did he improve more overall than his counterparts? Maybe, but it’s much closer than you might think.
Doncic might’ve seen a bigger leap in traditional stats, but Ingram’s jump in VORP was much more significant- He went from 0 to 2.1.
On a side note, why does Ingram look stoned in his Basketball Reference photo?
Im no advanced stats guy, but i think going from an above average player to an all star level player (Ingram) is easier than going from an all star level player to top-5 player in the league (Luka)
To be perfectly honest, I’d be fine with either one winning. It’s fun to debate these things regardless