Pelicans reportedly targeting Thursday’s game against Utah for Zion’s debut.
New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson has reportedly fully recovered from surgery on a torn meniscus and is therefore finally ready to make his long-awaited NBA debut.
According to SiriusXM NBA Radio host Mitch Lawrence, the Pelicans are now targeting Thursday night’s home game against the Utah Jazz for Zion’s first NBA game. The knee certainly looked well enough during recent pre-game workouts in New Orleans and at Madison Square Garden.
Williamson told reporters at the top of the month that he would have been playing already if it were up to him, and it appears as though the team is finally prepared to give him clearance. The 19-year old phenom, who averaged 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game during the preseason, was awarded the AP Player of the Year in a landslide after posting 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in his freshman season at Duke.
The Pelicans are currently sitting in 14th place in the West with a record of 14-26 but they are just four games behind the eighth seeded Memphis Grizzlies. This week’s slate includes a road game against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, followed by home games against the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers.
Worth noting, that Clippers game will air on ABC at 3:30pm ET so plan accordingly.
