Is Zion Williamson Playing Tonight? Latest Injury Update for Pelicans vs Thunder Play-In Game on April 12

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

The New Orleans Pelicans will fight for their playoff lives on Wednesday with an NBA Play-In Tournament game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. One major storyline ahead of tip-off is the availability of Zion Williamson, who's been sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Zion Williamson Injury Update (4/11/2023)

Williamson is not expected to suit up on Wednesday against the Thunder. The tantalizing forward has been out since Jan. 2 after suffering a hamstring injury and experiencing setbacks during his recovery.

Williamson discussed his lingering hamstring issue on Tuesday. He said he is healed physically, but mental hurdles are keeping him from taking the court again. The two-time All-Star won't be comfortable playing until "I feel like Zion."

Williamson is far from the first player to deal with mental obstacles when coming back from a major injury. Considering how staying healthy has been a struggle for the former No. 1 pick throughout his career, it's no surprise he's feeling timid about a return.

The 22-year-old was electric when on the floor for New Orleans this season, averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 29 games. The Pelicans were 17-12 when Zion was in the lineup during the 2022-23 campaign, compared to 25-28 without him.

Now Willie Green will look to lead his team past the upstart Thunder without a major part of his roster. FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA odds peg the Pelicans as solid 5.5-point favorites against OKC.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.