Fair or not, the NBA has decided to shift their scheduling for the debut of Zion Williamson. Instead of the originally-scheduled Houston Rockets-Denver Nuggets game, ESPN will air Wednesday night's game between the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs, according to a report from Scott Agness of The Athletic.
ESPN is altering its schedule, televising Spurs at Pelicans next Wednesday (instead of Nuggets at Rockets) so everyone can see Zion’s debut…
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) January 17, 2020
Fans have looked forward to seeing Williamson in a real game with the Pelicans since the team drafted him at No. 1 overall this past summer. Unfortunately, though, the former Duke standout has been sidelined due to a knee injury since the final game of the preseason. He underwent surgery on his knee before the start of the season, but it sounds like he's on the verge of making his debut.
The fact that Williamson is close to being ready is great news for the Pelicans, who are currently holding a 16-26 overall record. He dazzled in the preseason, but underwent knee surgery shortly before the regular season began. He was originally ruled out for six to eight weeks, but has been kept out past that timeline as the Pelicans are being overly cautious with the future face of their franchise.
Interestingly, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin claims that Williamson is “better than he was in the preseason,” according to a report from Shamit Dua of Bourbon Street Shots.
David Griffin: "Every objective measure, Zion is better than he was better than the preseason"
Talks about how subjective measures are different
— Shamit Dua (@FearTheBrown) January 15, 2020
The Pelicans will be back in action on Saturday, when they'll serve as hosts to the L.A. Clippers. Tip-off inside the Smoothie King Center is set for 3:00 p.m. ET.
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