Jonathan Bachman/Getty ImagesAlready trailing 0-2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the New Orleans Pelicans are unlikely to get Zion Williamson back from a strained hamstring in their Western Conference playoff series.
On FanDuel TV's Run It Back, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the Pelicans would likely have to advance past the first round for Williamson to have a realistic chance at playing in the postseason.
Run It Back @RunItBackFDTV"Zion Williamson is hopeful that as the playoffs go on, potentially he could make a return...Realistically, from my senses, the Pelicans would have to make it out of the 1st round to open up his window for a return."<a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShamsCharania</a> on Zion Williamson<br>📺: <a href="https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g">https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g</a> <a href="https://t.co/3ZzlGQr7qw">pic.twitter.com/3ZzlGQr7qw</a>
Williamson suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of New Orleans' 110-106 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the play-in tournament on April 16.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Williamson said it is "definitely realistic" that he returns at some point in the playoffs.
Williamson did note he has to pass certain tests and "get back to baseline" before being cleared to play. It's unclear how long it will take for him to reach those marks.
When the injury occurred, Williamson was in the midst of arguably the best game of his NBA career. He scored 40 points on 17-of-27 shooting, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out five assists in 36 minutes.
The Pelicans were able to erase an 18-point deficit against the Lakers to tie the score at 95 when Williamson's injury occurred.
New Orleans got into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed by defeating the Sacramento Kings. It's the team's first appearance in the postseason since the 2021-22 season.
Williamson has yet to appear in a playoff game in his NBA career. He didn't play during that 2021-22 season due to a Jones fracture in his right foot that required surgery.
The two-time All-Star played in a career-high 70 games during the regular season. He led the Pelicans in scoring average (22.9), finished second in rebounding (5.8) and assists (5.0).
The Pelicans were competitive in Game 1 against the Thunder in a 94-92 loss. They suffered a 32-point loss in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
New Orleans will return home to host the Thunder for Game 3 on Saturday looking to get back in the series.
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