The New Orleans Pelicans will likely be shorthanded when they face the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night at the Smoothie King Center.

Zion Williamson isn't expected to play due to rest purposes while Brandon Ingram is deemed questionable with knee tendonitis, as announced by the team Thursday afternoon.

Obviously seeing Zion pop up on the injury report would concern Pelicans fans, but it's nothing but precautionary. After all, he's missed a lot of time since coming into the Association four years ago. So far in four games in 2022-23, Williamson is averaging 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 50% from the field. While those numbers aren't massive, it's still early in the campaign.

As for Ingram, he's missed the last two contests because of knee soreness. Tendonitis is something you can certainly play through though, as long as you're getting treatment in between outings. He's featured in two games, putting up 22.5 points to go along with 7.0 boards and 4.5 dimes.

The ultimate health of Zion and BI is absolutely crucial to the Pelicans' success this season because, after all, they are NOLA's two best players. Unfortunately, the organization is dealing with a few long-term absences to key pieces though, with Jose Alvarado, Trey Murphy, and Naji Marshall all on the shelf at the moment.

The Pelicans are off to a 3-1 start, beating three quality teams in the Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, and Oklahoma City Thunder. Zion's next opportunity to suit up would be Saturday at home versus the Atlanta Hawks. The same can be said for Ingram if he doesn't play against Detroit.