If the Play-In tournament started today, the ninth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers would be facing the New Orleans Pelicans, who are currently 10th in the Western Conference. There's still a little less than a month remaining in the regular season, but it does look like this is going to be the scenario for the Play-In game.
Former second overall pick turned basketball analyst Jay Williams recently decided to throw some shade at LeBron James and his Lakers in a recent episode of ESPN's Get Up program. The 40-year-old first revealed that he believes the Pelicans will/should shut Zion Williamson down for the remainder of the season:
“I don't think Zion's gonna play this year,” Williams said. “I would not rush him back. I think long term for Zion, that's how I look at him, what's in the best interest for him long term or not.”
Zion has not played all season long, but there have been rumblings of his looming return of late. The Pelicans superstar recently shared a video of himself going under the legs and off the backboard for an eye-popping dunk during practice. Unsurprisingly, that clip has gone completely viral. The Pelicans announced not long after that Zion had been cleared for 1-on-1 work. These developments all point to the possibility of Williamson returning to action sooner rather than later.
Jay Williams is having none of it, though. He would much rather prefer that the Pels just shut their superstar down for the last few weeks of the season in order not to risk another injury. It doesn't matter to Williams if the Pelicans are actually fighting for a spot in the playoffs. This is because in his mind, Williams believes that New Orleans doesn't even need Zion to beat LeBron and the Lakers:
“But here's the thing,” Williams said. “I still think the Pelicans, in a play-in scenario, could beat the Los Angeles Lakers without Zion… We're talking about the Lakers not making the Playoffs depending upon when AD comes back — if he's coming back, Wendy. I don't know what the hell is going on with that. We’re all of a sudden expecting the Lakers just to turn it on down the stretch? I know LeBron James can turn it on. I don’t know if everybody else can turn it on around him to beat the Pelicans.”
There's no denying that the Lakers have been a pretty terrible squad for the better part of the season. However, the Pelicans haven't been very good themselves. Nevertheless, Williams remains confident that a Zion-less Pels side could upset the Lakers in a single-elimination play-in game to secure their spot in the playoffs.
It is worth noting, though, that recent reports suggest that Anthony Davis could be coming back from injury by the first week of April. The Play-In tournament is scheduled for April 12th, which means that barring any setbacks, AD should be back in the mix by then. Williams himself noted that AD will be a major factor for LA if and when he returns, so this critical update on Davis' foot injury should put LA at a major advantage against the Pelicans in a potential play-in matchup, particularly if Zion Williamson won't be available to suit up.
What we can say for sure, though, is that right now, there are still so many moving parts involved in these possible scenarios. Anything can still happen.
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