The New Orleans Pelicans just got dealt a devastating blow to their playoff dreams and it was announced that Zion Williamson will be out indefinitely. According to the Pelicans, Williamson suffered a fractured left ring finger and will be sidelined indefinitely while a treatment plan and timetable are worked out.
Executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin called the injury “avoidable,” saying Williamson was injured because of the way he’s been officiated this season.
“He’s been absolutely mauled in the paint on a regular basis, to the point that other players have said to him, ‘I’m going to keep doing this to you because they don’t call it,’” Griffin told reporters in a Friday news conference. “There’s more violence encouraged in the paint against Zion Williamson than any played I’ve seen since Shaq.”
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The Pelicans are a game and a half behind the San Antonio Spurs for the tenth spot in the Western Conference. With only six games left, the Pelicans can’t really afford to lose any more games and with Williamson out, it looks like the Pelicans’ hopes of the playoffs are out as well.