Pelicans: Brandon Ingram Sidelined 7-10 Days

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram will be sidelined for at least 7-10 days as he deals with a hamstring strain the team reported on Wednesday.

Ingram had missed the previous two games with what was initially described as hamstring soreness before the team upgraded the injury details to a strain. The Pelicans lost both games and are now 2-14 without him on the season.

There aren't many options for the Pelicans to replace a 6-8 scoring machine, so other guys will have to step up on the team. Including C Jonas Valanciunas, who had 30 points and 15 rebounds in Wednesday night's loss to the Orlando Magic. He will be asked to be the secondary scorer behind CJ McCollum, who averages 27.1 points per game since landing with the Pelicans.

The rookies' contributions will be needed. On Wednesday, Trey Murphy III's 24 minutes were the most he played this season, and expect this trend to continue. Murphy is a deadly corner 3-point shooter averaging over 42 percent from that area. With the way teams will blitz CJ to get the ball out of his hands, Murphy will need to shoot when the ball swings his way.

The same can be said about Herb Jones. All season his accolades have been given for his defensive prowess, but offensively he has shown flashes as well. He had a career-high 26 points in Cleveland back in December and followed that up with a 25-point performance in a win over the Nuggets last month. That game included 18 points in the 4th quarter to seal the road victory. More will be asked of Jones to pick up the scoring load in Ingram's absence.

Wednesday night did not reflect it, but the Pelicans will also hope to catch a break from the schedule. They just came off a grueling stretch in which 8 of the last 12 opponents had a .500 or better winning percentage. In their next 11 games, only 2 of those teams currently boast a winning record, so this is a schedule-friendly time for the Pelicans to maintain their spot for the play-in game.

While also a long shot, the team may see Zion Williamson back on the court before the season ends. Last week, he rejoined the team after completing his rehab in Portland on his right foot that required offseason surgery. The team has been optimistic about his progress, and he will now start going through some weight balancing and light basketball activities. There may be a chance he can progress fast enough to join the team in the final stretch before the play-in game.

The Pelicans may be down without their leading scorer, but not out. Others will have to step up to keep the ship afloat until Ingram can get back healthy and again lead the team to a potential playoff run.