ZION WILLIAMSON AND BRANDON INGRAM ALLEGEDLY REFUSED TO PLAY AND WORK WITH PELICANS STAFF DURING THE SEASON

The New Orleans Pelicans were expected to be one of the surprise teams of the 2022-23 NBA season, yet they couldn't keep up the level during the entire season, ultimately losing to an inexperienced Oklahoma City Thunder team in the play-in tournament. 

Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are expected to lead this team to compete for big things, but this season they were involved in a series of controversies with the team management. 

"At different points, Zion refused to work with VP of Player Care and Performance Aaron Nelson. Brandon Ingram has sometimes seemed unwilling to play through minor discomfort, to the point where some of his teammates have become frustrated with him over the past two years," Christian Clark of Nola.com writes. 

Added to Williamson missing a lot of games due to injury, Brandon Ingram also stated in a similar situation. The player hurt one of his toes, and what started as a simple injury turned out to be weeks of inactivity for the forward. 

"Brandon Ingram sat out 29 consecutive games with an injury the team described as a left toe contusion. Ingram kicked the back of a Memphis Grizzlies player’s foot in November. Two days after the injury, Pelicans coach Willie Green said Ingram was 'day to day.'

"Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Ingram did not play again until Jan. 25 — exactly two months after hurting his toe. During this time, there was significant frustration in the Pelicans organization about Ingram’s extended absence. Several people felt that Ingram was capable of playing."

This isn't a good thing for the Pelicans, as these two are expected to lead them to compete for championships. Losing them would be painful, but these situations could prompt the team to make a drastic decision regarding their star duo. 

The Pelicans Are Putting Pressure On Zion Williamson To Resume Playing 

Zion has raised a lot of eyebrows during this season, as he's been criticized for his bad shape once again. The Pelicans GM is putting pressure on him to come back to the court because he's missed a lot of games, and the Pels seem to be running out of patience for Williamson. 

Hypothetical trades involving the Pels all include Zion, as many think the team will give up on the former No. 1 overall pick. The relationship between both parties doesn't seem like the best, and even less when the general manager calls out Williamson

This can be one of the biggest storylines of the summer, but we'll have to wait to see how this situation unfolds. 

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2023-06-02T20:10:26Z dg43tfdfdgfd