NBA
Pelicans CJ McCollum is questionable (ankle sprain) today vs Thunder; Zion Williamson will miss more weeks than expected
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated13 Feb 2023
The injury camp in New Orleans has been very active this season as now CJ McCollum was added to the injury list this Sunday. The shooting guard is reported to suffer a right ankle sprain and he is in doubt to participate in today’s game at Oklahoma City.
McCollum’s news comes in as a huge blow as he has been one of the most durable players for the Pelicans this season that has seen multiple injuries from various players. The 31-year-old, who is in his first full season with his team, arrived in the middle of last campaign in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers.
CJ McCollum listed as questionable to play in Monday's game at Oklahoma City. #Pelicans injury report presented by @MorrisBartLLC: https://t.co/303EMMkLvs pic.twitter.com/ND5QyJLhUL
— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) February 12, 2023
Last season, the six-foot-three guard proved invaluable to this young New Orleans roster as they ended up 8th in the West, made the playoffs, and were close to defeat the Phoenix Suns after a six-game series in the first round.
Now for this tournament, the sharpshooter is the 35th best scorer in the league as he is averaging 21.1 points per contest, and adds 4.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists to his stats. As for his shooting, his splits are 43.4% from the field, 38.5% from beyond the arc, and 79.7% shooting from the free throw line.
One of his best performances of the season was last month’s clash agains the Timberwolves, as he dropped 25 points in his team’s defeat 102-111.
Check out McCollum’s highlight of that game as he added 5 rebounds and 8 assists:
A few of our favorite sport betting sites consider the Pelicans to possess the twelve best odds (+3000) to win the NBA Championship this year, which is a set back considering just a month ago they ranked the 8th best chances as they had an incredible end to 2022.
Williamson has a set back and will be out more than expected
Earlier this Sunday, New Orleans Executive VP of Basketball Operations David Griffin told the press really bad news, as Zion Williamson re-aggravated his right hamstring strain and is now supposed to return far beyond the All-Star break.
The news comes after it was reported last week that the foward would miss the All-Star Game, and would probably return right after the celebrations in Salt Lake City. The player, who was replaced by Utah’s Lauri Markkanen in the West line up for the talent showcase this February 19, is now supposed to return a couple of weeks later.
Breaking: Zion Williamson re-aggravated his hamstring injury, and he's looking at missing multiple weeks. He will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break, per GM David Griffin. pic.twitter.com/GLiKwFSfGl
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 12, 2023
Williamson has been the star of this Pelicans side with averages of 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, He first suffered his injury back on January the 2nd, and has struggled to return ever since.
Meanwhile, Pelicans head coach Willie Green mentioned that young Dyson Daniels will also be out for the squad’s two-game road trip this week to Oklahoma City and Los Angeles (Lakers), due to a right ankle sprain.
This means Williamson and the rookie player now join E.J. Liddell, who has been recovering from a right knee ACL injury, as out of the picture for Monday’s conference matchup.
