Big absent from the second half of the Pelicans season, Zion Williamson and his shadow logically hovered over the elimination against the Thunder. Especially since before this decisive match, the interior of New Orleans had assured to feel “well physically”.
A statement that had given rise to hope and then disappointment in the face of his package for this “play-in”. David Griffin therefore came back to it, to put things right.
“He came the other day to say that. But to say that, physically, he feels good, that means that he is not injured, ” specifies the vice-president of the franchise. “He had not received the green light to play again. It is one-against-zero. Admittedly, he made a “windmill” before a match, but it is not enough to play in five-against-five. So for people who say he knowingly refused to play, that’s bullshit. It’s not factual. »
The manager thus believes that this sentence from Zion Williamson was misleading and that the Pelicans should have been firmer on the player’s medical situation.
“This is a misrepresentation and if I had been there I would have clarified immediately,” continues David Griffin. “When we follow a rehabilitation protocol, if a player does not confirm that he feels good, confident, we do not move forward for the next stage. This miscommunication is largely our fault. »
The medical aspect is only part of the problem for David Griffin
The main problem remains the same: the Pelicans All-Star does not play enough. Since the start of his career, in 2019, he has only played 114 matches… How can we reverse this trend?
“I wish I could put my finger on it. I think a lot of it is his responsibility,” advances all the same the leader. “I think he can do a lot better and he would tell you that. We have to do a better job of examining the situation from top to bottom. It’s important to put him in the best possible position to succeed and his participation in all of this will contribute greatly to that. »
A statement that somewhat agrees with that of CJ McCollum, who had also hinted after the elimination of his team that Zion Williamson could do more to avoid long absences.
“Availability is important”he had said. “We have to be available. We have to do the right thing off the pitch in terms of preparation, treatment, sleep, hydration and nutrition. »
Nevertheless, David Griffin assures that he doesn’t like the current conversations around his team.
“What I don’t want is for our team to be said, ‘Oh my God, they have to fix their medical problem. No, we have to sort out a lot of things. We need to improve a whole bunch of things. This is only one aspect of the question. I really don’t like people talking about player availability over and over again. It’s also: ‘Let’s do the right thing with the players who are available. Let’s make them do the right thing every day. And let’s build a culture that allows us to be critical of each other as we should’. I failed miserably in this area. We have to do better in many ways.”
| Zion Williamson | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2019-20 | NOP | 24 | 28 | 58.3 | 42.9 | 64.0 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 22.5 |
| 2020-21 | NOP | 61 | 33 | 61.1 | 29.4 | 69.8 | 2.7 | 4.5 | 7.2 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 27.0 |
| 2022-23 | NOP | 29 | 33 | 60.8 | 36.8 | 71.4 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 4.6 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 26.0 |
| Total | 114 | 32 | 60.5 | 34.3 | 69.1 | 2.5 | 4.4 | 7.0 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 25.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
