Zion Williamson is expected to make his long awaited rookie debut with the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 22.
Pelicans Executive Vice President David Griffin said the franchise expects Williamson to play next Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs in New Orleans. Williamson has been sidelined since his knee surgery in October. The former Duke Blue Devil was the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
The Pelicans are currently 15-26 but only four games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Williamson is expected to have an immediate impact. New Orleans and their fans are hoping he will.
The team will not have much time to evaluate their roster with him before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, so they do need to carefully consider any roster questions during these next two weeks, over which they have seven games.
In addition to playing the Spurs, they have matchups with the Bucks, Celtics, Nuggets, Grizzlies and Rockets. The last three are all currently ahead of New Orleans in the Western Conference standings.
Although it may be too little, too late for this season, we’ll finally get to see what this team was meant to look like with the 6-foot-6, 280-pound power forward.
