The New Orleans Pelicans will get some much-needed help next month, according to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania. “I’m told both sides are hopeful of a January season debut for (Zion) Williamson,” he stated on Tuesday, giving Pelican fans some hope going into the New Year. Williamson suffered a torn meniscus in October. After surgery, his initial recovery time was slated at 6 to 8 weeks. Although that would have had him back in the game already, the Pelicans are reluctant to start the number one draft pick. Reportedly, the team has been working on the young athlete’s kinetic chain to reduce the chances of him re-injuring his knee in the future. 

The Pelicans are currently 11-23, making them the second to last team in the Western Conference. Only the Golden State Warriors have a worse record, which is pretty astonishing within itself. It may be smarter for the team to sit Williamson for the rest of the season, get a nice draft pick, and start off the next season strong. That may not be what Pelicans fans want, but it may be better for the franchise overall. In the preseason before his injury, Williamson was averaging 23.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 steals. He was also shooting just over 71 percent across four exhibition games.

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