According to a statement released by the New Orleans Pelicans, All-Star forward Zion Williamson will be out indefinitely and will likely miss the rest of the season with a fractured left ring finger.
The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that forward Zion Williamson underwent a series of diagnostic testing at Ochsner Heath yesterday prior to the team’s departure to Philadelphia. A CT scan revealed a fractured left ring finger. He will be sidelined indefinitely. A treatment plan and timetable for his return to play will be determined upon further evaluation.
Typically, another team’s star player missing out on the last few games of the season wouldn’t cause a blip on Sacramento’s radar, but New Orleans losing their leading scorer and most dynamic player holds huge implications for the race to 10th in the Western Conference. The Pelicans currently lead the Kings by a full-game for the 11th seed and also trail the San Antonio Spurs by 1.5 games for the final play-in spot. New Orleans also leads Sacramento in the tiebreaker, meaning that the Kings must finish ahead of the Pelicans in the standings, rather than just tie them, assuming both squads are able to bypass the Spurs. It’s never a good thing for the league when a player as fun as Zion has to miss even more time in his young career, but the Kings can only play the hand that’s dealt to them, and they must take advantage of his absence in the next couple of weeks.
In addition to some favorable non-Kings news, Sacramento also got a bit of a lift from James Ham of NBCS. The Kings Insider shared that while De’Aaron Fox has not yet been cleared to get on the court and contribute, he’s growing closer to a return.
According to a league source, De'Aaron Fox has been cleared to rejoin the team and will not play tonight. He's currently undergoing several steps in the process for returning to the court. Good news as the Kings continue to play well.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) May 7, 2021
Fox will be on the sidelines with his teammates, similar to what we saw from Hassan Whiteside earlier this year, but he will still be listed in league’s health and safety protocols until he is fully prepared to play. There is hope he will make his return soon, but no date set yet
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) May 7, 2021
If the Kings have any hope of snagging the final play-in spot and a chance to make the playoffs, they’ll certainly need De’Aaron Fox back on the court as quickly as possible. Tonight, they’ll have to do their best without their young star, as they face a key matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, a game that could very well determine if we see Sacramento in the postseason this year.
I have broken that exact finger, and my wedding ring is way too big so it can be forced over the knuckle.
Why are they doing a CT scan for a busted digit?
I can see how you’d be confused, but some franchises are pretty meticulous about making sure they’ve got a proper diagnosis so they do lots of tests.
Yeah, but that $15 co-pay!
Brutal.
Medical imaging, as you may have guessed, is yet another thing of which I am largely ignorant. Wouldn’t an x-ray suffice?
CT is basically a more sophisticated X-ray that gives you a much better picture.
I realized how incomplete that answer was. X-Ray and CT Scans use basically the same imaging method. CT scans, to some degree, are 3-D X-rays with cross-sectional capabilities.
They paint the same picture, but in much greater detail and from more angles.
Considering the wealth of teams and the value of their investments, I’m sure they CT everything instead using the old school simple 2-D picture from a classic X-ray.
This is the kind of information I’m looking for when I come here. Thanks, BHE!
Typical KANGZ situation.
-10th seed has top 3 toughest schedule
-11th seed loses their All-Star
-Fox is coming back
-Kings will lose back to back at home vs OKC this coming week
Other teams playing chess, while the Kings are playing checkers. The Pelicans know that they have Zion and Ingram for long-term and are playing the long game. The Kings are trying to claw into the 10th seed play-in game.
I’m not knocking the Kings, but hopefully the play-in game/playoff chance provides valuable learning experience and growth for the young roster. I’d rather have a better shot at Cunningham, Mobley, or Kuminga…but that’s just me.
However; I love the hope and will continue to cheer on the team regardless.
Go ahead and knock them. This franchise hasn’t executed a single strategy for 12 seasons.
Sure would be neat if they don’t shit the bed tonight. History, however, says no way do we play up to the level that we need to.
Wouldn’t the Kangzy thing to do would be to win tonight and get hopes up even more before dropping home games to OKC on Sunday and Tuesday?
I refuse to get excited.
Lucy is getting it ready for us!
Not enough booze in the world to get me excited about this team’s chances. J/k they’ll rope me in again before losing 5 in a row.
Our bizarro version of Red Auerbach’s cigar.
Shit. Thought the loss to the Spurs took us out of the running for the play in tourney.
Badge Legend