After re-entering the bubble last week, Zion Williamson is expected to exit quarantine mid-day on Tuesday, according to Pelicans Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin.
Speaking with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Griffin also discussed Williamson’s potentially availability in Thursday’s game against the Utah Jazz, the team’s first official contest in the bubble.
“In theory, his quarantine would end Tuesday afternoon-ish. The problem is he has to test and get the results before they release him.
“Literally any player on our roster who went 13 days without doing any physical activity, it isn’t going to be a given that we would just cut them loose in that next game. Particularly a player that generates as much torque as he does. So we will see where he’s at.”
Williamson left the bubble on July 16. If he is cleared on Tuesday, it’ll be 12 days between practices, assuming he’s available for practice on his first day. He could, potentially, have just one day of practice before the team is set to play Utah on Thursday.
This will put the Pelicans in an interesting predicament. On one hand, the franchise showed how cautious it would be with Williamson when he first debuted. On the other hand, the abbreviated timeline adds extra importance to every game in the bubble.
It’s a call the Pelicans will have to make that could play a big role in the Pelicans’ playoff push.
