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New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson made every effort to rally his teammates from the bench as the Golden State Warriors closed the gap with a 120-109 win. Unfortunately, fans weren't as kind while reacting to Zion's efforts.
The New Orleans Pelicans have experienced extreme highs and lows this season. After largely being expected to be a playoff contender given their performance last season, the Pelicans have let some fans down as they are still having to fight for a place in the Play-in.
A big part of why they have had such a tough time this season has been due to the unavailability of their stars, Zion Williamson in particular.
Williamson is one of the most gifted young players in the game. When healthy, he could even be considered one of the best power forwards in the NBA. Unfortunately, his consistent absence from the floor has done a lot of damage to both his reputation and the Pelicans.
However, Zion has still tried to be an active participant in New Orleans' efforts to secure a playoff spot. A recent video of him trying to rally the team together during a game against the Warriors garnered a fair amount of attention.
Unfortunately, fans have been particularly bothered by Zion's unavailability. This was seen in their reactions to the video. Here are some of the best from Twitter:
Williamson signed a five-year rookie extension with the Pelicans this season. Given the expectations and the contingencies placed upon him to be available, Zion has faced difficulties with the same.
Williamson is expected to resume on-court activities to rehabilitate from injury. Unfortunately, there is no formal update on when he will return.
Zion Williamson challenges the Pelicans locker room - Reports
Bleacher Reports' Chris Haynes recently reported that Zion Williamson has issued a challenge to the New Orleans Pelicans. Haynes said:
"After the Pelicans lost to the Lakers on March 14th, Zion Williamson got on his team in the locker room after that game. He was telling them that, 'Listen, guys. We're playing with no sense of urgency.' I was told that he questioned their effort."
Haynes's source also mentioned that Williamson didn't want the team to feel sorry for themselves because they had key players sidelined. Overall, Zion placed an emphasis placed on winning with what they had.
Following the loss against the Lakers, the Pelicans went on to notch a 5-1 record. This span of games also saw a five-game winning streak that helped New Orleans return to play-in contention.
Unfortunately, a loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday does a lot of damage to their chances. Having fallen back to .500, the Pelicans lost a chance of climbing out of the Play-In bracket.
Guess the Lakers players!
