Zion Williamson latest injury update is really short on specific details

The Pelicans recently gave their latest injury update on Zion Williamson, and it’s frustratingly vague.

As New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson’s exact return date looms in the future, there’s an increasing chance that he won’t be available for next week’s play-in tournament.

Williamson injured his hamstring in early January against the Philadelphia 76ers and did not return to game; he apparently re-injured his hamstring in February and has been rehabbing ever since.

The All-Star forward has served as the Pelicans’ driving offensive force, racking up 26 points and seven rebounds per game, and potentially not having Williamson on the court will deal a catastrophic blow to New Orleans’ playoff hopes.

Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin provided a brief update on Williamson on Thursday, but it didn’t tell people anything they didn’t know already.

Griffin said the team evaluated Williamson and will continue to monitor his progress. In the meantime, Williamson will continue to rehab his hamstring.

Pelicans’ unhelpful update on Zion Williamson: He continues to rehab

The lack of clarity and specific details in the update should concern Pelicans fans, as it’s usually not a good sign for a player’s future health status.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Friday morning that Williamson is “unlikely” to return to action in time for the play-in tournament, a slightly more illuminating update that nonetheless still doesn’t provide an exact timeline for Williamson’s recovery.

Prior to Williamson’s injury, the Pelicans were 23-14 and ranked third in the Western Conference; Williamson’s months-long absence along with Brandon Ingram missing time have caused New Orleans to drop to eighth place, currently tied with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The slim good piece of news is that New Orleans have locked in a spot in the play-in tournament (they can finish no worse than the No. 9 seed) and have a chance to make the playoffs via the same route as last season.

Having won eight of their last 10 games, the Pelicans have managed to stay competitive in Williamson’s absence with Ingram shouldering most of the production in recent weeks.

If New Orleans want to go far this postseason, the team will likely have to make do without its star forward for at least the start of its run as Williamson works his way up to full health on his own time.