The Pelicans lost to the Hawks last night without Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Steven Adams and Josh Hart.
Don’t expect Hart back soon.
Pelicans:
Josh Hart injury update: pic.twitter.com/oLScF7htbD
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 3, 2021
Christian Clark of nola.com:
SVG on Josh Hart's right thumb injury: "He’s not going to be back in two weeks. It’s a significant amount of time. He’s going to miss the vast majority of what’s left of the season.”
— Christian Clark (@cclark_13) April 3, 2021
If Hart undergoes surgery, he could miss the rest of the season.
Especially because the Pelicans’ season could end sooner given all these injuries. New Orleans is two teams and 1.5 games out of play-in position. Reaching the postseason would an uphill battle even if the Pelicans were healthy.
New Orleans is reportedly signing Isaiah Thomas to add backcourt depth. He might provide a scoring punch with so many top options sidelined. But he won’t replicate Hart’s defense.
Hart will be a restricted free agent this summer. He could draw significant interested as a 3-and-D wing. However, he’s having a down year from beyond the arc, something that could’ve corrected with more playing time. This would be a bitter way to end his contract year.
