The New Orleans Pelicans' season might feel over already, but it's only finished in spirit. The reality is that the Pelicans still have the majority of the campaign left to play, even if the remainder of the year might feel meaningless. Regardless of who's available or who's still on the team, New Orleans will have to play 82 games just like every other team in the league.
The franchise has obviously been ravaged by injuries, at one point missing seven of its top-paid players at once. Because of all of those absences, starting with Trey Murphy III's hamstring that he strained in the offseason, the Pelicans fell into a hole in the early season that's steadily become too deep for them to dig out of, at least realistically.
New Orleans could decide to mail in the rest of the season, shifting their pursuit to a top draft pick instead of a playoff spot, but that doesn't mean they can simply stop playing or that the injuries will stop affecting them. There have been too many trips to the infirmary for the Pelicans to keep track of, but here are the latest injury report updates for New Orleans.
New Orleans Pelicans receive injury update regarding Zion Williamson and crew
Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson was initially ruled out with various, ambiguous leg injuries before the Pelicans ultimately disclosed that he had suffered a hamstring strain. ESPN's Shams Charania had reported that his injury grade typically carries a 4-6 week timetable, but the team was bracing for him to be out longer than that.
The team has now stated that Zion has been "progressing well through rehabilitation" and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. He last played on November 6. The planned re-evaluation will mark exactly six weeks since his last outing, meaning that if he misses any more time, the injury will have kept him out longer than the expected range for a hamstring strain of his severity.
Jose Alvarado
Jose Alvarado also went down with a hamstring injury, last appearing in a game on November 11. The Pelicans parrotted the same news about Alvarado as they did for Zion, stating that his rehab has been going well and he'll also be looked at again in two weeks. That'll mark five weeks with him on the sidelines.
Jordan Hawkins
Jordan Hawkins has been diagnosed with a lumbar spine annular fissure which sounds absolutely horrifying. Thankfully, it's a pretty common ailment, although it's mostly seen in the elderly, that's essentially a small tear in the outer layer of a spinal disk. Many people who suffer an annular fissure are asymptomatic, but Hawkins has been dealing with nagging back pain throughout this season.
The team has stated that he'll be re-evaluated in a week's time. Hopefully, he'll come back fully ready and capable of extending his spectacular sophomore season.
Questionable Pelicans
New Orleans has listed a host of players as questionable for Thursday's game against the Phoenix Suns. Brandon Ingram is questionable with a strained calf, Herb Jones could make his return from a shoulder injury, and Yves Missi might be available after a high ankle sprain. The Pelicans could continue their run with a completely depleted roster against Phoenix or see a mostly healthy team for the first time in a long time.