- Expect the Pelicans to be very cautious with Zion Williamson‘s hamstring strain — they can be very tricky injuries and are prone to being aggravated if not fully healed, writes William Guillory of The Athletic. Williamson is officially out at least three weeks, but Guillory thinks it will be longer than that. He also expects Brandon Ingram to return to action pretty soon, though it’s hard to say exactly when — the forward has been dealing with a big toe sprain, but has been ramping up his practice activity.
The Nets‘ Jacque Vaughn and Pelicans‘ Willie Green were named as Coaches of the Month for their respective conferences, the league’s PR department tweets.
Vaughn earned Eastern Conference honors by guiding his club to a 12-1 record in December. Vaughn was named Brooklyn’s head coach on Nov. 9 after Steve Nash‘s early exit. Cleveland’s J.B. Bickerstaff, Indiana’s Rick Carlisle, Orlando’s Jamahl Mosley and Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers were the other nominees, the league’s PR department adds in a separate tweet.
Green, in his second season as head coach, took Western Conference honors by leading New Orleans to a 10-5 record last month. Memphis’ Taylor Jenkins, Dallas’ Jason Kidd and Denver’s Michael Malone were the other Western Conference nominees.
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will be sidelined a minimum of three weeks due to a right hamstring strain, the team’s PR department tweets.
Medical imaging confirmed the injury that Williamson suffered during the second half of Monday’s game against Philadelphia. He’ll simply be reevaluated in three weeks, meaning he could be out longer than that. The Pelicans have 15 games remaining this month.
It’s obviously a significant blow for New Orleans, which has emerged as one of the Western Conference’s top contenders. The Pelicans have a 23-14 record, third-best in the West behind Denver and Memphis.
Williamson, who missed all of last season due to a foot injury, was well on his way to an All-Star season. He’s averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 33 minutes per game. He was signed to a five-year max extension in July despite playing in a combined 85 games in three seasons after being the top pick of the 2019 draft.
The Pelicans have been without Brandon Ingram since Nov. 25 due to a left great toe contusion. He’s listed as out once again for Wednesday’s game against Houston, the team tweets.
If Ingram can return soon, it would certainly soften the blow regarding Williamson’s latest ailment. Naji Marshall, Larry Nance Jr. (also out on Wednesday due to right shoulder soreness) and Jaxson Hayes could also absorb some of Williamson’s minutes.
Zion Williamson suffered a right hamstring strain in the second half of the Pelicans’ loss to Philadelphia on Monday. Williamson, who scored 26 points before departing, will undergo some additional evaluation to determine the severity, according to Willie Green, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune tweets.
“That was extremely difficult,” the Pelicans head coach said. “It was at a pivotal moment during the game. We’ll get some imaging and look at him. Hopefully, he’s OK. Tough loss for us.”
Williamson has appeared in 29 Pelicans games this season after sitting out last season with a foot injury.
- CJ McCollum admitted he was literally shooting for the Pelicans’ 3-point record, Andrew Lopez of ESPN writes. McCollum knocked down 11 to set the single-game franchise record as New Orleans defeated Philadelphia on Friday. “I was just trying to shoot as many 3s as possible, to be honest with you,” McCollum said. McCollum, who is ineligible to be traded this season, is under contract with New Orleans through 2026 after signing an extension in September.
- Pelicans forward/center Larry Nance Jr. left Wednesday’s game early due to what the team dubbed a neck contusion/spasm (Twitter link). Nance, already bothered by a shoulder issue, was in “a lot of pain” on the bench, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN, and is considered doubtful to play on Friday vs. Philadelphia, per the official injury report.
Mavericks center Christian Wood, inserted into the team’s starting lineup in recent weeks, seems to finally be adjusting to his new Dallas teammates, and his two-way output has blossomed of late, writes Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News.
“Any time a trade happens, it’s just not the numbers or analytics,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “A human athlete has to perform and has to make the adjustments. As much as we want trades to happen and for them to be successful overnight, it just takes time… You can see he’s starting to get comfortable, and his teammates are getting comfortable with him, and now it’s just a matter of building on the foundation that we’ve built.”
“He’s active,” All-NBA guard Luka Doncic said of Wood earlier this week. “He listens to us, and that’s what he needs to do. He helped us a lot, not just [Sunday], but the last couple games he’s been amazing.”
Across his last eight contests, Wood has been averaging 20.3 PPG on 51.8% shooting and 9.1 RPG, while his net rating increased to plus-8.4 points per 100 possessions.
“I feel like my defense has picked up a little bit in these few weeks,” Wood said, “and these guys just having that confidence to trust in me to make defensive plays.”
Wood is now eligible for a four-year contract extension worth as much as $77MM, but Caplan notes that neither the Mavericks nor Wood’s reps seem to have made major inroads into negotiations as of now.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Maximum-salaried Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine could emerge as an intriguing trade target for the Mavericks, partnering Doncic with an elite backcourt scorer, provided the oft-hurt LaVine can stay healthy. Tim MacMahon of ESPN recently told colleague Zach Lowe on the latter’s Lowe Post podcast that some members of the Mavericks’ front office could have interest in LaVine. “I just know that there are fans of him that hold prominent positions within the Mavericks,” MacMahon said. “Again, I’m not sitting here and telling you there’s some great consensus. I think there’s enough fans of him where I wouldn’t totally rule it out.”
- Though the Pelicans‘ lease on their current home court, Smoothie King Center, will expire in 2024, it does not appear that New Orleans is planning to migrate in the immediate future, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “Their intention is to extend the lease,” vice president of stadiums for ASM Global Doug Thornton said. ASM Global handles lease negotiations with the Pelicans. “We’re going to determine what capital improvements need to be made. We’re always putting money into the arena. The question is how much?”
- Spurs guard Devin Vassell has exhibited a skill set beyond just being a talented scorer, writes Jeff MacDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Though Vassell has seen his scoring output improve from averaging 12.3 PPG last season to 19.6 PPG this season, the 22-year-old feels that he has grown as a leader as well for this rebuilding young San Antonio club. “I’ve had a good year when it comes to scoring, but it’s not just scoring,” Vassell said. He is set to sit tonight against the Knicks due to a sore left knee, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News reports (Twitter link).
Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram has now missed 15 consecutive games — and over a month of action — due to a left big toe contusion, having sustained the injury on November 25. Based on his comments to the media on Thursday, it doesn’t sound like his return is imminent.
“Confidence in pushing off,” Ingram replied when asked what’s holding him back (Twitter link via William Guillory of The Athletic). “Confidence in being back to who I want to be. Trying to be explosive. Just trying to be myself. That’s the biggest thing. If I don’t feel like myself, then I know it’s not time to be on the floor.”
Guillory notes (via Twitter) that Ingram didn’t mention anything about dealing with pain, just that the recovery process has been unpredictable. When the 25-year-old was asked if he was close to returning, his reply was pretty vague, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com.
“It’s hard to tell. Some days I feel really, really good, and the recovery is bad. Some days, recovery is good. Whenever I feel 100%, I’ll give it a go. But it’s hard to say right now,” Ingram said.
Unlike last season, when the Pelicans struggled mightily without the former All-Star, the team continues to play well even with Ingram sidelined in 2022/23. Still, he was averaging 20.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 4.7 APG and 0.9 SPG on .472/.467/.868 shooting through 15 games (32.1 MPG), and he was the Pelicans’ top performer in last year’s playoffs, so they’re obviously a better team when he’s available.
On a positive note, second-year defensive ace Herbert Jones was back at practice on Thursday, per Clark (Twitter link). Jones was placed in the health and safety protocols over the weekend.
Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith will be out for several more games. He’ll be reevaluated in two weeks, per coach Jason Kidd, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com tweets. Finney-Smith hasn’t played since Dec. 19 due to a groin injury. Guard Josh Green, who has been out since Dec. 9 due to a sprained right elbow, will get an examination on Friday.
We have more injury-related news:
- On a night when the Wizards finally had a full, healthy roster, star Bradley Beal departed with just over four minutes remaining on Tuesday due to left hamstring soreness, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Beal has been limited to 23 games this season after missing time with thigh and right hamstring injuries.
- Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who has missed three games due to a stint in the league’s health and safety protocols, is listed as probable to play on Wednesday against Minnesota, according to a team press release. Herbert Jones, who was also placed in protocols over the weekend, is listed as questionable.
- Suns guard Cameron Payne, who has not played since Dec. 13 due to a right foot strain, is hopeful of returning during the team’s in-progress six-game road swing, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports. “It’d be hard just sitting back and watching, but kind of got to fight through the discomfort,” Payne said. “Just try to get me back to 100%. Just get me back to normal. I think I’m getting close. It’s been a rough two weeks, week and a half, but it’s coming to a close. Just getting close.”
- The Pelicans are listing Zion Williamson as doubtful for Monday’s game against the Pacers, citing “return to competition reconditioning,” according to Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com. It would be the third straight missed game for Williamson, who is part of a long injury list for New Orleans.