Zion Williamson won't return to Pelicans in time for play-in

METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said that Zion Williamson will not practice with the team Saturday and would not play in any play-in tournament games next week if the Pelicans are still in the play-in.

Griffin, speaking to local media Friday, said the team would like for Williamson to go through some practices before returning from a hamstring injury he suffered Jan. 2.

«I would say that if you just look at, like, the logistics of where we're at, it's not possible to get the work in that would put him in a 5-on-5 workout in time for any play-in,» Griffin said. «I think, based on today, our best possible outcome would be if everything lined up perfectly, maybe you're in a position to practice prior to a first-round [series] or maybe during a first-round [series].

»But it's gonna take more than one, right? So it's really hard. And again, we may never get to that point either. If it's not a situation where all those things align and he feels the way he needs to feel, then we're not gonna let him go to the next phase."

The Pelicans are set to practice Saturday in Minneapolis ahead of Sunday's regular-season finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Williamson won't go live, Griffin said.

New Orleans has guaranteed itself at least the No. 9 seed in the West play-in tournament but could climb out of the tournament altogether depending on the results of this weekend's games.

One day after Griffin released a statement saying Williamson was going to «continue his rehabilitation and conditioning regimen,» he expanded on those comments, saying there were certain things that had to align before the team would clear Williamson to return from the right hamstring