NEW ORLEANS — Zion Williamson is out for the Boston Celtics’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, per head coach Willie Green. He said that the issue, listed as a left foot bone contusion, occurred in the Pelicans’ overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
Green noted the issue just popped up, which is consistent with what Williamson’s availability has been this season. The star has appeared in both of the Pelicans’ games so far this season, both losses, playing over 33 minutes in each. But now, as two winless teams square off at the Smoothie King Center, both will be without star players, instead of just Boston missing Jayson Tatum.
That will present a different fight than the one the Celtics were likely anticipating.
Pre-game breakdown of Celtics vs. Pelicans
Boston has employed a very different brand of basketball this year, upping their pace on both ends of the court. And though they lost a ton of pieces over the summer, and have begun the season in a slump, they still pose a threat.
“Well, they still present the three-point threat. They can shoot 40-plus,” Green said pre-game. “They're going to play together. They're playing faster. Looks like their pace is faster than it was last season. They're causing havoc, trying to cause havoc defensively, picking up. So, some of their concepts are still the same, so you got to guard them, you got to respect your opponent always, and a lot of those guys still have a ton of experience.”
Implementing the system they want to play has proved challenging for Boston thus far. Three straight losses where rebounding, shot-making, and fouling have been issues.
Yet they are still confident in their ability to push through the early struggles.
“I think that's the key, right, is that, at the end of the day, we're shaping an identity, and the system with how we want to play, and I commend the effort that we've had in the three games, and now we know it takes effort and execution, and we just have to fight for that,” Joe Mazzulla said pre-game in New Orleans. “So, we have to maintain a level of effort that we play with. We have to add the level of execution, and whether it's at the end of quarters, whether it's at a four-point game, or at the end of the game, we just have to fight for those, and then develop that habit of execution.
“I think we've developed a habit of the type of effort that we need to compete with, and now, we just have to develop the habit of execution throughout the entire game, or as much of the game as we can.”