David Griffin says Zion Williamson out until at least playoffs!

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The Pelicans said on Thursday that Zion Williamson was out for at least Friday’s game against the New York Knicks (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass). On Friday, Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin pushed that timeline out considerably further.Griffin ruled Williamson out of the AT&T Play-In Tournament, which the Pelicans have already qualified for, and said Williamson could return for a first-round playoff series should New Orleans advance that far.

“Based on today, our best possible outcome would be if everything lined up perfectly, maybe you’re in a position to practice prior to a first round. Or maybe during a first round,” Griffin told reporters, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “But it’s going to take more than one, right? It’s really hard. We may never get to that point either. If it’s not a situation where those things align and he feels the way he needs to feel, we’re not going to let him go to the next phase.”

Williamson has been sideline with a right hamstring injury since Jan. 2, when he left the team’s game in Philadelphia because of it. On Thursday, the tone for Williamson’s outlook sounded a bit more optimistic.The Pelicans’ announcement on Thursday came a day after they clinched a spot in the NBA postseason with a victory over Memphis that guaranteed the team a top-nine finish in the Western Conference — good enough for at least a Play-In spot.

New Orleans (41-39) still could finish in the top six and go straight to the playoffs if it wins its last two games and receives help in the form of losses by Golden State (42-38) or the LA Clippers (42-38).