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The New Orleans Pelicans will once again take some extreme caution with their prized rookie Zion Williamson following his return inside the bubble at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
The 20-year-old Duke product left the Orlando facilities last week to tend to a sensitive family medical emergency. While his return is certainly great news for the 8th-seed seeking Pels, the team reportedly won't be in a rush to bring him back to the lineup once the season resumes on July 30.
Per ESPN's Andrew Lopez, NOLA is still unsure of Zion Williamson's status for their season re-opener against the Utah Jazz on Friday.
Even if he gets cleared medically, the Pels will reportedly monitor him closely since he's been away for the team for eight days and must wait for another four days to re-join his teammates.
Following the league's strict health protocols, Williamson must first get tested for COVID-19 upon entering and have a negative test for at least seven days before returning to the campus.
Williamson reportedly tested negative on both occasions and is now in isolation for his mandatory quarantine.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time New Orleans took extreme measures to preserve the health of their generational talent after picking him first overall in the 2019 draft.
The 6-foot-6 high-flyer missed the first three-and-a-half months of the 2019-20 NBA regular season following knee surgery. The initial diagnosis had him missing just 6 to 8 weeks, but the NOLA brass made sure Williamson was 100 percent ready to go before his first official game.
Williamson certainly lived up to the hype and more, coming out of the gates hot by averaging 23.6 points on 58.9 percent shooting from the field and 46.2 percent from three, to go along with 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 19 games.
The Pelicans, on the other hand, still have a good shot of breaking into the top 8 of the Western Conference. They currently occupy the 10th seed with a 28-36 slate.
