After patiently waiting for almost four months, NBA fans will finally get to witness New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson make his pro debut against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. As far as excitement goes, no one is as hyped about the development as Williamson himself.
With all the hype and hoopla surrounding his first game, Williamson recently addressed the magnitude of his return and how it alters the landscape for the up-and-down Pelicans
“I think it might be a little different magnitude to this one. This is my first NBA game … this is business now. This is different,” the 19-year-old prodigy told a group of reporters on Tuesday, per NBA.com.
“It's very exciting to be coming back at this time. We did go through a bad stretch but things are turning around. Everybody's been playing better and I'm just looking to go join in on the fun.”
The Duke product certainly justified the hype surrounding him when New Orleans picked him number one overall in last year's draft. Williamson, a 6-foot-7 athletic freak of nature, mesmerized the entire league with his spectacular play in the preseason.
Zion erased any doubts about how his game would translate against bigger and much better competition. He proved he was ready for the big leagues by notching 23.3 points per game in four preseason games while corralling 6.5 rebounds and shooting 71.4 percent from the field.
Unfortunately, an MRI exam brought to life the Pelicans' worst nightmares when it revealed that Williamson needed surgery to the meniscus of his right knee.
Now 100 percent healed and back to form, Zion Williamson vows to give the Pelicans a boost, who went 17-27 without him in the lineup.
“It's just basketball. This is what I do. I've been doing it since I was four. … It's one game at a time and that's what's been working for us,” he shared ahead of his debut.
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