Zion Williamson getting closer to New Orleans Pelicans debut, says David Griffin.
Wednesday 18 December 2019 17:05, UK
No 1 overall draft pick Zion Williamson is inching closer to his NBA debut, according to New Orleans Pelicans GM David Griffin.
Speaking on Tuesday night, Griffin said that Williamson "has made really good progress" but wasn't ready to say when the forward could take the court for the 6-22 team.
The Pelicans lost to the Brooklyn Nets 108-101 in overtime, their 13th straight defeat.
Williamson, who was named the Naismith Player of the Year this spring following his only season at Duke, had surgery on his right meniscus on October 21.
The Pelicans initially said they anticipated he would miss six to eight weeks.
Williamson can take part in full weight-bearing exercises, and he took shots in the Pelicans' shootaround on Tuesday.
"We are really excited with where he is at," Griffin said on the television broadcast of the game against the Nets. "He's made really good progress. I know we have reached the eight-week point, and everyone is ready to see him. I think we're a little way away yet, but today was a really big first step."
Williamson played in four preseason games and averaged 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. He has yet to return to full practice but Griffin said he has already lifted the struggling team.
"It's an important time for him because he's fully weight-bearing," Griffin said. "If we're going to see a setback, it would be now. The team-mates, the way they responded to him, the joy he has when he is on the floor is evident. And we've obviously needed that."
