New Orleans Pelicans Blog – Page 12 – NBA Blog

Zion Williamson medical update

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been cleared to participate in contact drills, beginning with 1-on-1 workouts and progressively working towards full team workouts.

Williamson, who underwent imaging on his fractured right foot on Thursday (Nov. 11), was medically cleared by Dr. Richard Ferkel of Southern California Orthopedic Institute and Dr. Scott Montgomery of Ochsner Health. Williamson will undergo further medical imaging on November 24, which will determine his availability for full team workouts.

The Pelicans are 2-13 so far this season, which is the second worst record in the Western conference, ahead of the 1-3 Houston Rockets.

Their leading scorers so far in 2021-22 are Brandon Ingram at 25.0 points per game in just eight of 15 games played, Jonas Valanciunas at 19.4 ppg, Devonte’ Graham at 15.6 ppg, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker at 15.0 ppg.

Pelicans forward Herbert Jones out with concussion

New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones sustained a concussion during the third quarter of last night’s game against the Phoenix Suns and has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol.

Per the NBA’s Concussion Policy, Jones must go through the return-to-participation process, which can begin no earlier than 24 hours from the time of injury. The return-to-participation process includes a series of steps designed to ensure an athlete exhibits symptom free behavior before resuming full basketball activities. There is no timeframe to complete the process, as each injury and player is different and recovery time can vary in each case.

Pelicans and Jonas Valanciunas agree to contract extension

Pelicans big man Jonas Valanciunas will be sticking around for a while. Via the New Orleans Times Picayune:

For the second consecutive season, the Pelicans signed their starting center to a contract extension without ever watching him play a regular-season game in a New Orleans uniform.

Wednesday, the Pelicans and Jonas Valanciunas agreed to a two-year, $30.1 million extension, which will keep the 6-foot-11, 265-pound Lithuanian big man under contract through the 2023-24 season, a source said…

Only 11 months earlier, the Pelicans signed Steven Adams to a two-year extension worth $35 million. Adams averaged 7.6 points last season, the fewest since his rookie season, and was traded in July.

The Pelicans sent Adams and Eric Bledsoe to the Memphis Grizzlies in a salary shedding maneuver. They got back Valanciunas in the trade and were forced to move down seven spots in last summer’s draft.

Pelicans waive John Petty Jr.

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has waived guard John Petty Jr.

Petty Jr., 6-5, 184, most recently played four seasons at Alabama in which he averaged 11.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 131 games (105 starts), finishing his career with a school-record 311 made three-pointers. Petty Jr. is coming off of a senior campaign where he averaged 12.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists en route to First Team All-SEC honors. Petty Jr. led the SEC with 77 made threes during the 2020-21 season.

The Pelicans roster now stands at 17.

Pelicans exercise contract options on Zion Williamson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaxson Hayes and Kira Lewis Jr.

The New Orleans Pelicans have exercised fourth-year options on guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, center Jaxson Hayes, and forward Zion Williamson, and a third-year option on guard Kira Lewis Jr.

Alexander-Walker has appeared in 93 games (14 starts) in two seasons with the Pelicans, averaging 8.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 17.2 minutes per contest. In 2020-21, he raised his rookie averages in points (+5.3), rebounds (+1.3), and assists (+0.3).

Hayes has appeared in 124 contests (17 starts) in his first two professional seasons, averaging 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game while shooting .647 from the field.

Williamson has posted averages of 25.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, while shooting .604 from the floor, .333 from three-point range and .683 from the free throw line in 85 career appearances (all starts) with New Orleans. The 2021 All-Star selection is coming off of a sophomore season in which he averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 33.2 minutes per game while shooting .611 from the floor. Williamson became the first player in NBA history to average at least 27 points on .600 shooting for an entire season.

Selected 13th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, Lewis Jr. appeared in 54 games off the bench in his rookie campaign, averaging 6.4 points, 2.3 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per contest while shooting.386 from the floor, .333 from three-point range and .843 from the line.

Pelicans sign guard John Petty Jr.

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard John Petty Jr.

Petty Jr., 6-5, 184, played four seasons at Alabama in which he averaged 11.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 131 games (105 starts), finishing his career with a school-record 311 made three-pointers. Petty Jr. is coming off of a senior campaign where he averaged 12.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists en route to First Team All-SEC honors. Petty Jr. led the SEC with 77 made threes during the 2020-21 season.

The Pelicans roster now stands at 18.

Pelicans waive James Banks, Malcolm Hill and Wenyen Gabriel

The New Orleans Pelicans have waived center James Banks, guard Malcolm Hill, and forward Wenyen Gabriel.

Banks, 6-10, 250, most recently played for Hapoel Be’er Sheva of the Israeli Super League, appearing in 13 games and averaging 5.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 20.5 minutes per game. Banks appeared in 31 games (29 starts) during the 2019-20 season for Georgia Tech, where he was voted to the ACC’s All-Defensive team after averaging 9.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.5 blocks per game.

Hill, 6-6, 225, played four seasons overseas in the Philippines, Germany, Kazakhstan and Israel from 2016-21. During the 2020-21 season, appeared in 19 games (13 starts) averaging 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.3 minutes per game for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the Basketball Champions League.

Gabriel, 6-9, 205, appeared in 21 games off the bench for New Orleans last season, averaging 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per contest.

The Pelicans roster now stands at 17.

Pelicans waive Zylan Cheatham and Jared Harper, sign James Banks and Malcolm Hill

The New Orleans Pelicans yesterday waived forward Zylan Cheatham and guard Jared Harper, and signed center James Banks and guard Malcolm Hill.

Pelicans sign Jose Alvarado and Daulton Hommes to two-way contracts

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Jose Alvarado and forward Daulton Hommes to two-way contracts.

Alvarado, 6-0, 179, started all 26 games during the 2020-21 season for Georgia Tech, where he was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-ACC Second Team honors after averaging 15.2 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. In four seasons with the Yellow Jackets, Alvarado appeared in 106 games (104 starts) and finished with career averages of 13.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.1 steals in 34.9 minutes played.

Hommes, 6-8, 215, most recently played for Vanoli Cremona of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A, averaging 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 28 games while shooting .468 from the floor, .427 from deep, and .863 from the foul line. Undrafted in 2019 out of Point Loma Nazarene University, Hommes appeared in 36 games (six starts) with the G League’s Austin Spurs in the 2019-20 season, in which he averaged 8.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 19.6 minutes per game.

Pelicans re-sign Josh Hart

The New Orleans Pelicans have re-signed guard Josh Hart.

“Josh brings tenacity, competitiveness and infectious energy to our team every time he steps on the court,” said Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin. “We are excited to welcome him back and grateful that he wanted to continue his evolution with our Pelicans family.”

Hart, who was originally acquired by New Orleans from the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a three-team trade on July 6, 2019, appeared in 47 games (four starts) for the Pelicans last season, averaging 9.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 28.7 minutes per game.

Selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Hart has appeared in 242 games (65 starts) with the Lakers and Pelicans over four seasons, holding career averages of 8.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.0 minutes per contest.

The Silver Spring, Maryland native appeared in 146 games (77 starts) over four collegiate seasons at Villanova University, averaging 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.0 minutes. As a senior, Hart was named the Big East Player of the Year after averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists during the 2016-17 season.