Will Zion Williamson play in the play-in? Find out more about the Pelicans star’s return date

Following Sunday’s 113-108 loss to Minnesota, the New Orleans Pelicans are locked into a ninth-place versus 10th-place play-in matchup against the OKC Thunder.

The Pelicans will now have to defeat the Thunder and the loser of the LA Lakers versus Minnesota Timberwolves play-in matchup to make the playoffs. If they do, they will face off against the first-seeded Denver Nuggets as the eighth seed in round one. However, the Pelicans will have to try and secure their playoff spot without star forward Zion Williamson, who remains ruled out indefinitely with a hamstring injury.

According to Bally Sports’ Erin Summers, Pelicans president David Griffin said that Williamson hasn’t experienced any additional setbacks. However, the earliest he could return to practice would be sometime during the first round of the playoffs:

“David Griffin said Zion hasn’t been reinjured but is still hesitant to play fully. He has not gotten to the point of getting on the court and doing live work.

Best possible outcome - "being able to practice during the first round of playoffs,” Summers reported.

Zion Williamson last played on Jan. 2 against Philadelphia, when he strained his hamstring while running down the court on a fastbreak. It was initially reported that Williamson would be back in around three weeks. However, he later experienced a setback in early February. Since then, his timeline to return has continually been pushed back. The star forward is now in jeopardy of not being able to return until next season if the Pelicans do not advance to the playoffs.

Williamson averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 60.8% shooting over 29 games this season.

How did the Pelicans fare without Zion Williamson this season?

New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson played in just 29 of the New Orleans Pelicans’ 82 games this season. However, the team still performed much better with the star forward in the lineup.

The Pelicans finished 17-12 with Williamson and just 25-28 without him. When Williamson suffered his hamstring injury on Jan. 2, the Pelicans were 23-14. The team then proceeded to collapse without him, losing 10 straight games from Jan. 16 to Feb. 2. This had New Orleans on the verge of missing the play-in entirely. However, the team finished the season 9-3 over their last 12 games to finish above .500 (42-40, ninth in the West).

So New Orleans could still prove to be a feisty play-in opponent without Williamson. But most would agree that the Pelicans’ playoff chances are severely lower with their star forward sidelined.