Pelicans take cautious approach with Daniels' ankle injury

The former Bendigo Braves guard injured his right ankle in the Pelicans' loss to the Denver Nuggets on January 25 (AEDT).

He has been in rehabilitation mode since suffering the injury and the Pelicans confirmed on Monday that Daniels would remain sidelined for this week's games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers.

The Pelicans then don't play until Friday, February 24 (AEDT) against the Toronto Raptors.

Prior to the injury, Daniels was enjoying an impressive rookie season with the Pelicans.

In particular, his work at the defensive end of the floor had earned high praise around the league.

"We know he is an excellent defender, a high-IQ basketball player on the floor,'' Pelicans' coach Willie Green said of Daniels before he was injured.

"He'll make some mistakes and those are things we can correct and continue to get better, but he brings a ton of confidence into games.

"He has great size for a wing. He can play four positions and guard four positions so that makes him unique. We'll continue to work together with our whole group. We're excited about Dyson and what he brings to our team."

Leading into today's game against the Thunder, the Pelicans had slipped to seventh place on the western conference standings with a 29-28 record.

Star forward Zion Williamson also remains on the injured list with a hamstring complaint.

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