New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson only played 15 minutes against the Utah Jazz on Thursday in the first game of the NBA restart, and he may not have been happy about it.
Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes said Williamson was “pissed” about his minutes restriction (starts at 37:24 mark):
The Athletic's Sam Amick added some more info about this situation. He reported that the Pelicans had a reason for holding Williamson back versus the Jazz:
Yet according to a source with knowledge of the Pelicans’ reasoning on the Zion Williamson choice, there is crucial context here that had everything to do with the decision. Williamson, whose unique combination of linebacker size and incredible torque require so much caution as the Pelicans prioritize the bigger picture here, had practiced in a five-on-five setting a total of only four times since the league was shut down on March 11 because of COVID-19.
The Pelicans lost to the Jazz and are now four games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoffs. In the 15 minutes he played, Zion Williamson scored 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. He remained on the bench for the final 7:19 of the game.
The Pelicans were outscored 17-8 in the fourth quarter by the Jazz after Zion Williamson was taken out. It's going to be very interesting to see how many minutes Williamson plays moving forward for the Pelicans as the bubble games continue.
New Orleans' next game is on Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Follow Us
Subscribe