Coming into the season the New Orleans Pelicans had concerns about the durability of young stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
Both players have had injury and health issues in the past and were coming off a weird, shortened offseason, so it was right for people to be concerned how they would hold up over the course of a full NBA season.
The Pelicans have become increasingly reliant on Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram to carry the scoring load, as the rest of the roster has been inconsistent from night to night.
Zion was particularly concerning, as has had already had a couple of knee injuries and has the type of frame and explosive game that is going to be hard on the joints.
Luckily, (and I am knocking on wood as I write this) both of them have managed to avoid any long term injuries this season and are proving to be one of the NBA’s most durable and productive duos.
Pelicans: Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are playing big minutes
When you look at total minutes played this season, both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are in the top-40 in the NBA.
Zion Williamson is 36th overall but 4th among power forwards in total minutes while Ingram is 19th overall and 5th among small forwards.
When you consider that the two account for a large percentage of the Pelicans’ offense, their durability is the only thing keeping the Pels’ slim playoff hopes alive.
Zion and Ingram are 8th and 16h, respectively in total points this season, and the Pelicans are the only team to have two players in the top 20, which is pretty impressive, but also shows just how bad their bench and defense have been.
Obviously, health concerns over Zion are not just going to magically go away but he has quieted some of the critics who thought he would never be able to play starter’s minutes for a full season.