Jose Alvarado is the latest member of the New Orleans Pelicans expected to miss significant time, adding even more pressure on a depleted roster that is now at risk of missing the playoffs entirely.
The team provided updates on three injured players Tuesday, including Alvarado, who suffered a stress reaction in his right tibia during Monday's loss to the Orlando Magic and is expected to miss two weeks. The team also updated Larry Nance's ankle injury suffered in the loss to the Knicks over the weekend, and the versatile forward is expected to miss two weeks.
The final update came in regard to Zion Williamson, who hasn't taken the court since a Jan. 2 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers due to a hamstring issue. GM David Griffin said he was close to a return prior to the All-Star Break, but suffered a setback during on court drills. His injury will be re-evaluated with imaging tests next week, at which point a return timeline could be established.
It's a continuation of a frustrating theme for the 2022-'23 Pelicans, and they come as the team is mired in a long skid that has seen the team drop 18 of its last 25 games and now sits at 30-32 and in the 10th and final play-in spot in the Western Conference. Many of those losses also coincided with Brandon Ingram's long injury absence with a foot injury of his own. The Pelicans have gone 4-10 since his return on Jan. 25. The Pelicans now sit just two games back of the No. 6 spot and could avoid the play-in entirely if they can get back to the winning ways from earlier in the season, but the negative outlook also exists. The team sits just 1.5 games ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 13.
Alvarado has been a key reserve each of the past two seasons and was named MVP of the Rising Stars game during NBA All-Star weekend.
The Pelicans visit the Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
