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Injury Notes: Nance, Zion, P. Williams, Z. Collins

January 7th, 2022 at 9:35am CST by Luke Adams

An MRI on the injured right knee of Trail Blazers forward Larry Nance Jr. showed no significant damage, the team announced in a press release. While that’s good news for the Blazers and for Nance, who sustained the injury on Wednesday, the 29-year-old remains unavailable for the short term. According to the club, Nance will be reevaluated in one week.

Here are a few more injury updates from across the NBA:

Zion Williamson will continue his rehab from offseason foot surgery away from the Pelicans, the team announced in a press release. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Williamson has moved his rehab to Portland, Oregon. The former No. 1 overall pick, who called the recovery process a “difficult” one, continues to only participate in partial weight-bearing activities, according to the club.
The Bulls still aren’t ruling out the possibility of Patrick Williams returning from his left wrist injury by the end of the season, as Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago writes. Reports at the time of Williams’ injury indicated he would likely miss the rest of the regular season — the Bulls provided a four-to-six month timeline. “Patrick is coming back slowly, the schedule is to be determined,” president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said during an appearance on the Mully & Haugh Show on 670 The Score. “We’re not going to put any pressure for him to come back. We’re just going to go from week to week, we’ll see how he improves. We’ll see in terms of a date. I don’t want to put any timeline on it, but it would be great to have Patrick back by end of season.”
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said this week that big man Zach Collins is nearing a return from offseason ankle surgery, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “He was (doing basketball activities) until the new (COVID) restrictions came in,” Popovich said. “But he’s cleared to play once he gets a rhythm, and if he gets a chance to play some 3-on-3 or 5-on-5 or 4-on-4. … It’s kind of difficult now, but he’s almost ready to go.”

Southwest Notes: Jones, Zion, Tillie, Sengun

January 1st, 2022 at 8:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pelicans forward Herb Jones has been one of the surprises of this year’s rookie class, and veteran guard Garrett Temple got an early tip about his new teammate, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports serves as the agent for both players, and Temple said Bartelstein was raving about Jones shortly after he was selected with the 35th pick.

Jones has exceeded expectations for a second-rounder, starting 23 of the 32 games he has played and averaging 8.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per night. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC last season, but there were questions about whether he could provide enough offense to succeed in the NBA. He has been working to develop his jump shot and is connecting at 36.6% from three-point range on 1.3 attempts per game.

“I’ve gotten to know Herb as a person,” Temple said. “He’s the epitome of a great teammate, a great person. He’s someone you want on your team. He’s going to be in the league for a very, very long time.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

There’s an assumption that the Pelicans will offer Zion Williamson a maximum extension this summer, but John Hollinger of The Athletic questions whether that’s wise considering Williamson’s injury history. The third-year forward has only played 85 total games and continues to recover from offseason foot surgery. Hollinger suggests an offer similar to Joel Embiid‘s contract, which protects the team if he can’t play a minimum number of games.
The Grizzlies used their room exception to sign Killian Tillie to a two-year contract, tweets Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian. The former two-way player will become a restricted free agent after the 2022/23 season.
Rockets rookie center Alperen Sengun may face an extended absence after spraining his right ankle in Friday’s game, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston (Twitter link). “It’s not day-to-day,” coach Stephen Silas said. “It’s probably about a week and then we’ll see.”

Zion Williamson Receives Injection In Foot, Will Be Reevaluated In 4-6 Weeks

December 16th, 2021 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

After undergoing further evaluation on Wednesday, Pelicans star Zion Williamson received a biologic injection into the fracture site in his right foot in order to stimulate bone healing, the team announced today in a press release.

Williamson, who has experienced a couple setbacks in his rehab process this month, will be limited to “low-impact, partial weight-bearing activites” for the foreseeable future, according to the team. The Pelicans say they’ll have another update on the former No. 1 overall pick in about four-to-six weeks, when further imaging is conducted on his foot.

Andrew Lopez of ESPN (video link) said during a TV appearance earlier this week that Williamson’s recovery from offseason foot surgery isn’t a “shut him down for the season”-type issue, adding that the Pelicans believe Zion will return at some point in the new year. However, today’s news is the latest in a series of discouraging updates on the forward’s recovery process since he told reporters on Media Day that he hoped to play on opening night.

A four-to-six week timeline means it’ll be mid-to-late January before we get another update on Williamson, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be on the verge of returning at that point.

While I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, Zion’s ongoing absence could result in some difficult decisions for the 9-21 Pelicans at the trade deadline and in the 2022 offseason, when the 21-year-old will become eligible for a rookie scale extension.

Zion Williamson Suffers Setback In Rehab

December 11th, 2021 at 2:44pm CST by JD Shaw

Pelicans star Zion Williamson continues to experience soreness in his surgically-repaired right foot, the team announced in an injury update today. As a result, his training intensity will be reduced for an extended period in order to help his bone heal.

Williamson, 21, underwent foot surgery last offseason and his bone hasn’t healed like the team expected it would. Medical imaging showed a regression in the bone healing of his fifth metatarsal, the team said.

The Pelicans cleared Williamson to participate in full team activities on November 26, which included playing in four-on-four games. However, the Duke product started to experience soreness just over a week later, delaying his potential in-game return.

New Orleans (8-20) has played all 28 of its games without Williamson this season. In 61 outings last season, Williamson averaged 27 points, 7.2 rebounds and 33.2 minutes per contest, shooting 61% from the floor.

Southwest Notes: Zion, Ingram, Morant, Primo

December 8th, 2021 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

New concerns have emerged about Zion Williamson‘s weight after a photo was tweeted from the Pelicans‘ game last week in Houston in which he looked larger than usual, writes Jenna Lemoncelli of The New York Post. Williamson hasn’t played yet this season while recovering from foot surgery, and he suffered another setback last week when soreness in the foot further delayed his return.

Meanwhile, there has been increased speculation about his bulkiness, which has been an issue dating back to his time in college. On Tuesday’s “Lowe Post” podcast with Zach Lowe, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said sources have told him that Williamson’s weight has ballooned to 330 pounds, well above his listed playing weight of 284.

In response to last week’s photo, a friend of Williamson tweeted out a different picture today at a youth basketball event in which the Pelicans star looks much lighter and called the weight controversy “fake news.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Brandon Ingram has been putting up big numbers over the Pelicans‘ last seven games, and he and new coach Willie Green agree it’s because they’ve figured out the best way to use him, per William Guillory of The Athletic. Despite being double teamed more frequently, Ingram is averaging 25.4 PPG over that stretch. “He’s just been playing at a higher level, playing faster, more aware of what’s going on around him,” Green said. “Really, there are times when he’s just taking over the game, which I love to see from him.”
Injured Grizzlies star Ja Morant was placed into the league’s health and safety protocols today, but coach Taylor Jenkins isn’t worried about Morant’s health, according to Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Jenkins didn’t reveal if Morant tested positive for the virus, but said he recently got a booster shot and is feeling fine. “There’s still more testing to be done so it’s too early to know exactly how that’s going to impact timelines and all that stuff but there’s definitely rules,” Jenkins said. “That’s why fortunately he’s fully vaccinated and has his booster so whatever comes, hopefully there’s more positive for us, not testing wise.”
Spurs guard Joshua Primo has seen some NBA action lately with Devin Vassell injured, but the organization plans to have him return to the G League, states Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express News. “We want him to have more time in Austin for obvious reasons,” coach Gregg Popovich said of the 18-year-old rookie. “He needs to mature in every way, shape and form because of his age. But, having said that, he has a confidence that belies his age. He’s pretty steady in his emotions, shows a great affinity for the game, understands what is going on better than most people, and he is willing to stick his nose in.”

Southwest Notes: Morant, Doncic, Williamson, Jones

December 4th, 2021 at 3:58pm CST by JD Shaw

Grizzlies star Ja Morant is making progress in his rehab from a left knee sprain, but his timeline for a return still hasn’t changed, according to Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Morant suffered the injury against the Hawks on November 26.

“He’s been responding really well to the treatments, the lift sessions that he’s had and we’re sprinkling in just small doses of on-court work just to make sure his knee’s moving and seeing how he’s responding day to day,” head coach Taylor Jenkins said.

As we previously relayed, Jenkins said Morant would miss multiple weeks. Prior to injuring his knee, the 22-year-old was averaging a career-high 24.1 points per game in 19 contests. Memphis has still managed to win all three of its games without him, including a record 73-point victory over Oklahoma City on Thursday.

Here are some other notes from the Southwest Division:

Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic (left ankle soreness) will miss Saturday’s contest against the Grizzlies, the team announced on social media (Twitter link). Joining him will be Kristaps Porzingis (left knee contusion) and Willie Cauley-Stein (personal reasons). Dallas is just 4-6 in its last 10 games.
Andrew Lopez of ESPN examines whether the return of Zion Williamson can stabilize the Pelicans‘ season. Williamson (foot surgery rehab) has yet to play this season, leading to New Orleans accruing the third-worst record in the West at 7-18. In 61 games last season, he averaged 27 points, 7.2 rebounds and 33.2 minutes on 61% shooting.
Pelicans second-round pick Herb Jones has become one of the league’s best young defenders, William Guillory of The Athletic opines. Jones was drafted by New Orleans in July after spending four seasons at Alabama. “To be great on defense, you have to really want it,” he explained. “You have to play with a different kind of aggression, a different kind of desire. I take pride in always being the guy who’s ready to lay it all out there for my teammates. That’s what I care about the most.”

Zion Williamson Experiences Setback In Rehab Process

December 2nd, 2021 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who has yet to play a game this season due to offseason surgery on his right foot, experienced some soreness this week in that foot and his potential return has been delayed, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN.

According to Lopez, Williamson didn’t practice on Thursday and the plan is to dial him back for a few days. No re-imaging on his foot has been scheduled and the Pelicans expect the former No. 1 overall pick to ramp back up next week. The team views it as a “slight delay” in the rehab process, but nothing serious, per William Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link).

We heard last week that Williamson had started playing in 4-on-4 scrimmages and had been cleared to practice and participate in full team activities. At that time, the expectation was that today would be Zion’s first opportunity to take part in a full practice. Clearly, that didn’t happen. He’ll revert to “low-impact” work before he ramps back up again, says Lopez (Twitter link).

While the Pelicans may be right that a slight delay in Williamson’s rehab shouldn’t be viewed as a major concern, the team is facing increased scrutiny, given the All-Star forward’s injury history. Williamson also missed a significant chunk of his rookie season due to a knee injury, far exceeding the recovery timeline the team initially provided at the time.

This time around, comments made by Williamson and head of basketball operations David Griffin on Media Day strongly suggested the 21-year-old was targeting opening night for his return. Griffin later claimed that when he said Williamson would be ready for the season, he hadn’t meant the start of the season, but Zion himself was clearly aiming to be back for opening night. It’s a bit of a worrying sign that, for a second time in three years, New Orleans’ star player is missing far more time than initially projected.

Zion Williamson Cleared To Practice, Participate In Full Team Activities

November 26th, 2021 at 5:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Pelicans star Zion Williamson has been cleared to practice and participate in full team activities, the team announced (Twitter link). The club also stated that Williamson played full court 4-on-4 today.

Zion, an All-Star last season, has been recovering from a broken right foot which required surgery over the summer. He played 1-on-1 and 3-on-3 earlier this week, but was awaiting medical clearance on foot scans before being able to practice fully.

There is still no timetable for his return to games, but being cleared to participate in full is a good sign that he’ll be able to build up his stamina over the coming weeks.

Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets that based on the team’s schedule, Zion should participate in his first full practice on December 2.

Although there’s no firm timetable for a return to games, Christian Clark of NOLA.com speculates that Williamson could make his season debut at some point in December.

The Pelicans have struggled mightily in his absence — they sit with a 4-16 record through 20 games, ahead of only the 2-16 Rockets in the West.

Southwest Notes: Poeltl, Landale, Zion, Silas

November 24th, 2021 at 6:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs center Jakob Poeltl returned to action last Thursday after missing six games due to COVID-19, but he’s still feeling the effects of the layoff, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Poeltl, who is fully vaccinated, was in the league’s health and safety protocols for 16 days and said the adjustment of returning to a full-time schedule has been difficult.

“I had to get my conditioning, but also sitting at home for a week and a half, you’re not shooting the basketball,” he said. “It’s tough to get back in game rhythm. But it’s feeling better with every minute I am out there.”

Poeltl, who moved into the starting lineup in the middle of last season, has been putting up career-best numbers this year with 12.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He said recovering from the virus has been different than coming back after being injured.

“It’s a little weird, because with getting COVID and stuff, it takes the wind away,” Poeltl said. “Everybody is cautious about running or whether you’re putting out too much energy. So even the build-up process was slower than it would be for a regular injury.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Spurs rookie center Jock Landale has also cleared protocols, McDonald adds. Landale, who has only appeared in four games this season, is available tonight for the first time since November 10.
The Pelicans are waiting for a foot specialist to process the latest scans on Zion Williamson, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Williamson has been playing 1-on-1 and 3-on-3 games, but hasn’t been cleared to participate in practice. The team expects the results to be available within a few days.
Amid rumors about his job security, Rockets coach Stephen Silas hasn’t lost track of his dual responsibilities of trying to get a few wins while developing his young players, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston. “It’s yeah, we want to win a game,” Silas said in tonight’s pre-game session with the media. “We want to get off this (15-game losing) streak. We want to get off this slide and I want it so badly for the group, but I also understand it’s developing these guys and I got to do both.”

Western Notes: Doncic, Zion, Nuggets, Blazers

November 23rd, 2021 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, who has missed three games since spraining his left knee and ankle last week, appeared to be on the verge of a return to the court as he went through practice on Monday. However, as Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News writes, the team hasn’t provided an update since Doncic shouted in pain and came off the court holding his knee near the end of Monday’s practice.

Doncic may have just suffered a brief scare that won’t affect his ability to return to action as soon as tonight — he’s still listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. the Clippers. However, it’s also possible that the Mavericks will decide to hold him out for another game or two after he seemingly aggravated his injury on Monday.

As we wait for an update on Doncic, here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Within a larger article about Zion Williamson‘s foot injury, Brian Windhorst and Andrew Lopez of ESPN say that the Pelicans kept news of Williamson’s offseason surgery quiet until Media Day out of respect to the young forward’s “preference for privacy.”
In a column for The Denver Post, Sean Keeler criticizes the Nuggets for their decision to sign Michael Porter Jr. to a rookie scale extension in the offseason, arguing that it was an unnecessary move for a team that can’t afford to swing big and miss. If the Nuggets hadn’t extended Porter, who is out indefinitely with a back injury, he would’ve been on track to reach restricted free agency in 2022.
The Trail Blazers, who are riding a three-game winning streak, are showing signs of evolving from a collection of players into a team, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic. Quick points to a few moments that have shown that evolution, including Larry Nance Jr. making sure rookie Trendon Watford got the game ball when he scored his first NBA points in a blowout loss to Denver.