When asked by reporters Thursday when he'll make his regular-season NBA debut, New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson said he'll wake up one day and just know, similar to how he made his decision to play college basketball at Duke.
Williamson underwent surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus in October. Shams Charania of Stadium is reporting the Pelicans and Williamson expect the No. 1 overall pick to make his debut this month:
Zion on when he'll be ready to go: "It'll probably be one of those moments, like when it came to my college decision, I'll (wake) up and I'll know."
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 2, 2020
Although the meniscus surgery Williamson underwent is unknown, most experts believe it was a meniscectomy rather than a true repair since the initial estimated timeline of recovery the Pelicans gave was six-to-eight weeks.
In his lone season at Duke, Williamson put on an absolute show. The forward put up 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 68.0 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from beyond the arc and 64.0 percent from the free-throw line.
The Pelicans are 11-23 on the season. Williamson is the new face of the Pelicans in the post-Anthony Davis era. Zion’s knee surgery wasn’t how anyone in New Orleans wanted to see his NBA career begin. However, his health is very important and everyone in The Big Easy just wants Williamson to be healthy for the long haul.
Williamson has focused on refining his eating habits during his rehab. Throughout the season, Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry and VP David Griffin have said that Williamson hasn’t suffered any setbacks in his rehab.
The Pelicans have fully anticipated that Williamson would play this season, and it looks like New Orleans fans are close to seeing Zion play again.
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