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No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson went through his first full regular-season practice with the New Orleans Pelicans after being ruled out indefinitely by the team prior to the start of the season, according to Will Guillory of The Athletic.
The rookie forward is not expected to play in the Pelicans' upcoming road trip, according to ESPN's Andrew Lopez, with a few boxes to check before he makes his NBA debut.
Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry has yet to put an official date for his return, but the general belief is that he will debut sometime in January if no setbacks occur. Gentry said the training staff is still taking it slow with Williamson’s return and that any minute restrictions will be later determined by the training staff.
The Pelicans have been patiently waiting on Williamson's return, as it is he who is expected to help turn around the franchise.
At 11-23, there's very little hope that Williamson's minute-restricted help would be enough to push the Pelicans into playoff contention, considering the season is almost halfway done.
Yet the hope is that Zion Williamson can gain precious NBA experience through the second half and develop some on-court chemistry with his teammates as the Pelicans progress through this post-Anthony Davis rebuild.
New Orleans has already seen a gem come from the Davis trade in Brandon Ingram, who has made the most of his opportunity as the team's leading scorer. Williamson's presence would only fortify the Pelicans' roster and given the NBA a player with incomparable athleticism and an exciting style of play.
