Pelicans Injury Report vs. Lakers: Will Zion Williamson & LA's Stars Play?

The New Orleans Pelicans are in the midst of their six-game road trip, taking on the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Following their four-game winning streak, the Pelicans fell to the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome, making their already highly improbable path to a play-in spot that much more difficult. However, they have an excellent opportunity to bounce back against the star-powered Lakers.

Fortunately for the Pels, they will be healthy heading into Crypto.com Arena. Zion Williamson is the only player on the injury report with a questionable tag, but the star power forward already said that he was expecting to be available. After rolling his ankle in Utah on Saturday, Williamson sat out on the second night of a back-to-back against the Clippers. His personal trainer or Williamson himself never expressed any serious concern about the 25-year-old forward's status going forward.

This will be the first game the Pelicans will have all of their players available. Dejounte Murray had missed the 58 games of the season as he was recovering from an Achilles rupture. When he returned against the Warriors last week, Trey Murphy was out with a shoulder contusion. When Murphy came back on Sunday against the Clippers, Williamson was sidelined with his latest ankle issue.

Pelicans Are Fully Healthy for 1st Time This Season Ahead of Lakers Clash

The fact that it took the Pelicans until the 63rd game of the season to have all of their key players healthy is certainly concerning. But James Borrego still has plenty of time to execute the vision of the front office and build some momentum heading into next season. A fully healthy roster will allow the Pelicans to evaluate their pieces better and hopefully make savvy decisions in the offseason.

It also complicates things for the coaching staff. The Pelicans already have a crowded rotation that doesn't allow Jordan Poole to get minutes. Borrego has a ten-man rotation that he trusts, bringing Derik Queen, Yves Missi, Jeremiah Fears, Bryce McGowens, and Karlo Matkovic off the bench. Who will get bumped off the rotation after Williamson's return will be fascinating to watch. DeAndre Jordan losing his starting spot should be considered a real possibility.

Similar to the Pelicans, the Lakers also have a clean injury report. In fact, it is one of the very rare cases that the Lakers didn't have a single player appear on the injury report. The fact that they are coming off back-to-back blowout wins against the Warriors and the Kings, where none of their players played over 30 minutes, certainly helps. The Lakers will be well-rested as they hope to complete the season sweep of the Pelicans.