Zion Williamson Remains Without Timetable to Return to NBA Bubble, Pelicans Say

The New Orleans Pelicans remain unsure of when Zion Williamson will return to the team after he left to deal with an "urgent family matter."

The Pelicans added that Williamson has undergone daily COVID-19 testing and has yet to yield a positive result.

The Pelicans have three scrimmages scheduled for Wednesday, Saturday and Monday before they resume the 2019-20 season on July 30 against the Utah Jazz.

Williamson's availability immediately upon the restart could be in jeopardy. NBC Sports' Tom Haberstroh noted the star rookie would potentially be quarantined for four days before he could enter the NBA's bubble at Walt Disney World Resort.

The 20-year-old hit the ground running after debuting in January. He had 22 points and seven rebounds in a little over 18 minutes in his first NBA game.

Through 19 appearances, the South Carolina native is averaging 23.6 points and 6.8 assists per game while shooting 58.9 percent from the floor.

New Orleans has eight seeding games to bridge the 3.5-game gap on the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in order to force a play-in series to make the playoffs.

The NBA's long layoff makes it a little more difficult to project how individual players and teams will perform. Assuming Williamson would pick up where he left off, his absence would loom large were he to miss any games.