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What are the New Orleans Pelicans Thinking with Zion Williamson’s Minutes Restriction?
The Pelicans may be shooting themselves in the foot by limiting their impressive rookie
NBA superstar rookie Zion Williamson is one of the biggest reasons why basketball fans looked forward to the reboot of the 2019–2020 season. Although he is fully healthy and reported to the team from the nearly four-month break in impeccable shape, his team, the New Orleans Pelicans, have been severely restricting his minutes. Their plan flies in the face of them being in the thick of the hunt for a postseason berth and makes little sense.
Williamson, a 20-year-old forward, is a physical marvel. He missed the first several months of the season recovering from an injury but finally took the court and dominated as many expected. In 21 games this season, he has averaged 22.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per contest. However, since the resumption of the season, he has played in just 15 and then 14 minutes in the Pelican’s first two games, which have both resulted in losses.
