New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is still sidelined as he recovers from knee surgery, but head coach Alvin Gentry is hoping the rookie phenom will be able to start on-court activities soon.
Though they'd love to have him on the court, the Pelicans are not going to rush the process of Zion's return, according to a report from Will Guillory of The Athletic:
Alvin Gentry says Zion Williamson still hasn't been on-court activities but he hopes to get the rookie phenom going soon. Says the team will continue to be cautious with him until he's right.
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) December 2, 2019
There have been several reports indicating that the Pelicans were targeting a mid-December return for Williamson, who had arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee on Oct. 21. Whether or not the team is holding to that belief now is not clear. He's yet to get back on the floor with contact, but he has been cleared to work out in partial weight-bearing activities.
“He’s dying to be back out here,” Gentry said, via The Undefeated. “He’s taking his rehab very, very serious. He’s chomping on the bit. We’d love to have him out there because he is a game-changer.
“It’s been tough for him only to be able to play in the preseason and not play now,” Gentry added. “He’s going to be special regardless because he is a team-first guy. And team-first guys seem to succeed in this league and have an impact on their team.”
When he is cleared to play, Williamson will be a fine addition the Pelicans' rotation. In his 33 appearances at Duke, the 19-year-old racked up averages of 22.6 points on 68.0 percent shooting from the field (33.8 percent from beyond the arc), 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks in 30.0 minutes per outing.
The Pelicans will be back in action on Tuesday night, when they'll serve as hosts to the Dallas Mavericks. Tip-off inside the Smoothie King Center is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, with TNT having live broadcast coverage.
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