New Orleans Pelicans superstar big man Anthony Davis was able to suit up for Sunday night's All-Star Game despite battling a shoulder bruise. However, his brief night would end after just under five minutes of action.
Following the highly entertaining matchup, Pelicans insider Scott Kushner was able to speak with Davis to discuss his shoulder issue. According to the 25-year-old, he was never really in line for a heavy workload for Sunday's exhibition match, but Davis also claims that he expects to have no restrictions for the Pelicans after the All-Star break:
I just spoke to AD. He said the plan was to just play a limited amount so he wouldn’t “mess the shoulder up” any further.
But he said of the shoulder, “it’s fine”.
He also said he expects to play when the Pelicans’ schedule resumes next week and will play his normal workload.
— Scott Kushner (@ScottDKushner) February 18, 2019
After New Orleans was unable (or unwilling) to ship Davis off prior to the trade deadline, there were some whispers about the team potentially shutting him down for the rest of the season. This was actually the smartest thing to do for the Pelicans, as it would have made no sense playing their soon-to-be former cornerstone star and risk an injury that might diminish his trade value come the offseason.
However, the NBA was having none of this, and they made it abundantly clear that the Pelicans must play Davis if he is healthy. Otherwise, the team would likely be looking at a hefty fine each time the former first overall pick got a healthy DNP.
With his recent statement, Davis appears to be confirming the fact that he will be, at the very least, close to 100 percent once the regular season resumes after the break. He obviously also wants to keep on playing, but given the circumstances, it would not be surprising if New Orleans opts to be overly cautious with its prized asset moving forward.
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