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The New Orleans Pelicans are on a five-game losing streak and looking to break it when they host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. New Orleans is 4-14 on the season, which marks the worst record in the Western Conference. Injuries have derailed the start of the year, especially for some of their top players.
The Pelicans released their injury report ahead of the game, and Zion Williamson is out again with a hamstring injury. Williamson has played in just six games this year after having the healthiest year of his career last season, playing 70 games. The former all-star forward is averaging 22 points a game.
Dejounte Murray upgraded to PROBABLE for tomorrow's game against the Raptors.#Pelicans | @MorrisBartLLC https://t.co/sXTARm7cvz
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 26, 2024
Williamson was recently in the news for parting ways with his agency, CAA, earlier this week. Per policy, the former Duke standout must wait 15 days before officially signing with a new agent. CAA represented Williamson since his rookie season in the NBA. There is no word who will represent the two-time all-star moving forward.
Zion's long injury history has created a stir among fans because of his lack of availability on the court. Since being drafted by the Pelicans in 2019, Williamson has participated in less than 50% of his team's games. He has yet to play in a playoff series, and now he is out indefinitely due to his latest hamstring injury. No timetable is set for his return as the Pelicans struggle to escape their early-season hole.
The Pelicans will welcome the return of guard Dejounte Murray, who fractured his hand in the team's opening game versus the Chicago Bulls. Tip-off at the Smoothie King Center is set for 7:00 p.m. CST.
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Surprising update emerges about Jayson Tatum’s recovery
Jayson Tatum may be giving a glimmer of hope right now to the Boston Celtics. The Celtics star Tatum, who is currently recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, was reportedly moving well while working out at Chris Paul’s CP3 Elite Camp in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week (per Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett). Bulpett adds that the possibility of Tatum rejoining the Celtics late in the 2025-26 regular season has not been ruled out at this point. “He was moving really well,” an unnamed NBA scout was quoted as saying about Tatum. “There might have been a slight limp or something, but the surprising thing to me is that he didn’t have a boot for any of it. I’m no doctor, but I’ve seen guys coming back from Achilles’ tears, and he looked way ahead. I was kind of shocked to see how well he was moving.” You can read Bulpett’s full report about the Tatum situation here. The six-time All-Star Tatum suffered an Achilles rupture during the second round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks in mid-May (video here). That means he is still only about two-and-a-half months removed from the injury and subsequent surgery. Achilles tears generally take about nine to 12 months to recover from, which would put Tatum around mid-February of next year at the absolute earliest. But it is certainly encouraging that he is already working out with a boot, and it should also help that Tatum is still only 27 years old as he embarks on his rehab. Of course, Tatum’s return to the floor will also be influenced by how the Celtics perform next season. Boston parted ways with some prominent players this offseason in an apparent effort to punt on the 2025-26 campaign and create financial flexibility. Thus, they obviously won’t push Tatum to an early return if the season is already a lost cause.
Troubling report surfaces on Patriots' first-round rookie
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye might not feel comfortable with his blindside protection early in the upcoming season. Following troubles at left tackle in 2024, the Patriots invested in the position by drafting LSU standout Will Campbell with the No. 4 pick in April's draft. Per Chad Graff of The Athletic, Campbell has been trending down at training camp this summer. "All eyes are on him every practice, which is a tough spot for a rookie," Graff wrote of Campbell. "So far, he’s been about what you’d expect from a rookie. He has some strong moments, particularly in the running game. But there have been struggles in the passing game. He’s been beaten for a sack in just about every practice, which isn’t great considering he’s usually on the field each practice for only 15 or so passing plays in full-team drills. "He tends to get beaten to the inside after oversetting, and it probably doesn’t help that the Pats don’t yet know who their left guard is next to him. Still, extrapolate those numbers, and that’s allowing two sacks each NFL game if you throw the ball 30 times. Not great." Graff believes the future is "bright" for Campbell, but doesn't think he will be a top-20 left tackle in 2025. NFL scouts had questions before the draft about Campbell's 32⅝ inch (or 33 inches, depending on whether one believes the league or LSU) arm length. Some suggested he'd be better suited to play guard in the league than left tackle. If Campbell continues to give up sacks, the Patriots might consider moving the 21-year-old to the interior part of the offensive line. Per OurLads, Campbell is projected to win the left tackle starting job for Week 1. If Campbell doesn't develop quickly in the preseason, Maye's progress as a thrower in the pocket could take a hit in the upcoming season.
Dolphins' Tyreek Hill stirs up drama, calls for teammate to be benched in certain situations
Tyreek Hill was just trying to be a good teammate, but his Miami Dolphins colleague didn't care for the message. On Friday, Hill gave a meaty performance during his media availability, broaching subjects from his mastery of the offense this year to saying he agreed with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that he needed to be a better leader on the Dolphins for the upcoming season. Then he took a shot at running back De'Von Achane. He suggested the Dolphins keep the 5-foot-9, 191-pound back off the field in third-and-short situations. "Take (Achane) out on 3rd-down," Hills told reporters, via the Dolphins. "That's my honest opinion. If it's third-and-short, he's not a power back. I've been telling him that in the locker room... I love De'Von, but If I'm being honest, that's why you got Jaylen Wright, that's why you got Ollie Gordon." Achane responded to Hill giving his opinion to the media. "That's how you feel," Achane wrote with a laughing emoji. Achane rushed for 907 yards and six touchdowns on 203 carries last season. That's an average of 4.5 yards per rush. The Dolphins' backfield as a whole struggled in the run game last season, averaging a pedestrian 105.6 rushing yards per contest. Achane certainly didn't thrive on third-and-short, but Hill's comments feel unnecessary. Last season, Hill caught 81 passes for 959 yards and six touchdowns — his worst production since 2019, when he missed four games due to injury. Is Hill ready to admit that he's washed? Miami's offense was bad, and it didn't help that Tagovailoa missed time due to a concussion. Defenses took advantage of the Dolphins' limited and discombobulated offense last season. Miami's training-camp news conferences are becoming a concern. Hopefully for the team, Achane won't take the slight from Hill too personally.
Yankees' trade-deadline whirlwind may not be enough to win AL East
It was a busy trade deadline for the New York Yankees, who added Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario, David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Austin Slater, José Caballero and Jake Bird (and Wilberson De Pena in rookie ball, if we want to get technical). Having done his part, Brian Cashman, the weary Yankee general manager, can lay his phone down and take a breather without negotiating something. The Yankees are, without a doubt, a much better team. But this raises an overlooked question: are they good enough? The Yankees lag the Blue Jays in the AL East by 3.5 games entering Friday. New York doesn’t necessarily need to win the division, as they seem to be bound for the postseason either way. However, they will likely need to face the Jays once they get there, and their 3-7 record against Toronto this season doesn’t bode well for them. How do the Yankees stack up after the deadline? McMahon has been a marvelous addition since he arrived in the Bronx. Rosario, who will presumably be used in place of McMahon when facing southpaws, can be an impact bat on those occasions. Both Doval and Bednar will be very helpful in lowering the temperature in the Yankees’ bullpen dumpster fire, which owns a 4.19 cumulative ERA entering Friday, before any of the recently traded arms could make their pinstripe debuts. But beyond these four (two of which will be platooned), the others are only marginal improvements. *Caballero’s 34 stolen bases are the most in the game this year. His 44 last year were the most in the AL. While no one can deny the Yankees’ roster has gotten stronger, Cashman failed to address the rotation, which has been plagued by inconsistent performances and pummeled by injuries. The team has also released Marcus Stroman in hopes that Luis Gil (will return on Sunday) and Ryan Yarbrough (expected to be back in August) can be as productive as they had been before their respective injuries (for Gil, that’s 2024). Meanwhile, in Toronto, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins wasn’t idle when it came to bolstering the rotation. Atkins was able to land former AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber from the Guardians, among other moves. Bieber is yet to pitch this year while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he is well on his way back, having made four rehab starts. If he can be a productive arm this year, this could easily add to the Yankees’ misery. The fact remains, if the Yankees are going to topple the Blue Jays (in the division, postseason or both), they will need a much higher level of reliability from their questionable rotation.
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