Things haven’t gone exactly as planned for Zion Williamson or the Pelicans so far in the bubble. Going into the restart in Orlando, New Orleans was afforded just as good an opportunity as any to make the postseason, with a favorable format that would allow them to make up some ground and potentially land in a play-in game for the last remaining playoff spot in the West.
Instead, the Pelicans have stumbled, and Zion has found his playing time limited, a development he hasn’t exactly been thrilled about so far. He was reportedly “pissed” last week after logging just 15 minutes in a loss to the Jazz, during which he had a solid 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting.
Now, it appears Zion will be subject to even more rest, as he is slated to sit out New Orleans’ Friday night game against the Washington Wizards, which is the second night of a back-to-back, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Pelicans’ Zion Williamson will sit out tonight against Washington to rest on second half of back-to-back, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 7, 2020
Zion initially was forced to leave the bubble to attend to a family emergency, but eventually returned for his team’s opener. The Pelicans have not fared well so far in their quest to secure the final playoff spot, losing three out of their first four games in Orlando. Still, they remain just 2.5 games out of the eighth spot with four contests remaining, and should they get past the Wizards — which they should be able to do without Williamson — things shape up nicely for them to make a run at the 8-seed.
