The long wait is finally over. Wednesday will officially mark the start of the Zion Williamson era, as the New Orleans Pelicans' highly touted rookie is set to make his much-awaited debut against the San Antonio Spurs. Although he's officially being listed as questionable, Williamson is going to play barring a disastrous setback.
While there will obviously be plenty of hype surrounding the rookie phenom, what should we all expect from the 19-year-old as he finally takes the floor for his first-ever NBA game?
The first overall pick is coming off meniscus surgery, which ultimately resulted in a three-month delay to his debut and should temper expectations at least a little to start. The Pelicans have been extremely cautious with their prized youngster, taking their time with his rehab in order to get him back to 100 percent health before he finally took the floor. He was initially given a recovery timetable of six to eight weeks, but he obviously blew past that mark as the franchise worked with him on improving his movements and how he lands when he goes up for his vicious finishes.
According to reports, Zion will be on a minutes restriction, though there may not be a hard number. 20 minutes should be a good number to target for Williamson and the Pelicans, and these minutes will probably be methodically spread out throughout all four quarters. He is expected to start, though, but it would not be surprising if Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry pulls him out before the mid-point of the first quarter. Playing him in short bursts should be the way to go.
We've all seen the highlights and we're all aware of what Williamson is capable of, and we should be able to see a brief preview of his freakish athleticism in his debut. Don't expect him to rack up huge numbers just yet like he did during preseason play before he got hurt, as he will likely be needing some time to get his wind under him. This is the first time Zion will be playing at the pace of a regular-season NBA game, so some adjustments will be required on the fly as he works his way into game shape and builds chemistry with his teammates.
All in all, it should be a relatively uneventful first game for Zion Williamson, which is exactly what the Pelicans are hoping for. So long as he does not suffer any setbacks during the game, then the team would consider this to be a highly successful debut for their future cornerstone superstar.
Follow Us
Subscribe