NEW ORLEANS — Not wanting to be short-handed against the Indiana Pacers Saturday night, the Pelicans made participation for both Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson game-time decisions.
Ingram and Williamson have been recovering from sprains. Ingram has a sprained right ankle, and Williamson a sprained left ankle.
Zion was able to fight through an injury Thursday night, dropping a team-high of 21 points in a win against the Bulls. The win against Chicago makes four back-to-back games with more than 20 points.
With only eight games so far, Zion has made a great start for his career in the NBA, averaging nearly 20 points and 7.5 rebounds a game.
If Zion keeps those averages that high for the rest of the season, he'd be the favorite for the Rookie of the Year.
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He was the frontrunner at the beginning of the season until he missed games because of his knee injury, a meniscus tear.
Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant has had the lead since then, averaging more than 17 points and 7 assists in the 46 games he's played. Morant should win the award, especially if Memphis makes it to the playoffs.
However, the race for the Rookie of the Year isn't over yet.
Betting odds from Caesar's Sportsbook just before Zion's debut Jan. 22 favored Morant to win the Rookie of the Year award 1 to 10, and Zion's odds were 16 to 1, meaning if you bet $100 on Zion then you'd win $1,600
But two weeks made a big difference.
A few days ago, those odds were much closer. Morant was still favored 2 to 9, but Williamson's odds were 3 to 1.
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