New Orleans Pelicans Injury Report (Nov 10): Latest update on Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram's status
The New Orleans Pelicans currently hold a 4-4 record for the season. The Western Conference franchise is dealing with a multitude of injury issues to members of their core rotations and is struggling to remain competitive as a result. Nevertheless, the season continues, and the Pelicans must figure things out.
On Friday, Nov. 10, the Pelicans will face the Houston Rockets. At the time of writing, Zion Williamson is questionable to participate in the contest. Williamson's absence is due to personal reasons. However, Brandon Ingram is expected to participate and is not listed on the team's injury report.
Some other names that won't be playing for the Pelicans on Friday are CJ McCollum, Jose Alvarado, Naji Marshall (doubtful,) Trey Murphy III, and Herbert Jones (questionable).
Williamson has participated in six games for the Pelicans this season. He's averaging 21.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists, shooting 50.5% from the field. His presence on the court elevates the Pelicans into a potential playoff candidate and revolutionizes how the team executes its offensive system.
However, the Pelicans have become accustomed to playing without Williamson in their rotation. Since entering the NBA, Williamson has had only one season where he played above 30 games. His presence within the rotation makes a huge difference, but it's rarely been seen for a prolonged stretch of games.
How are the New Orleans Pelicans doing so far?
The New Orleans Pelicans have looked like a cohesive unit, playing good basketball and looking disciplined on the defensive end.
New Orleans' four wins have come against the Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, and Oklahoma City Thunder. Only one of those teams has enjoyed a strong start to the season.
Their four losses are against the Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets.
Losing to that caliber of team isn't a worrying issue. Three of those rosters have been excellent to begin the season and look incredibly strong as potential playoff teams. However, if New Orleans wishes to keep trending in the right direction, they will need to start getting some of their core rotation back from injury in the near future.
CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson are game changers for the way New Orleans executes their sets. The ball moves faster. They're harder to guard. Playing in a stacked Western Conference is difficult.
It gets harder when you're missing multiple top-end talents.