Zion practices, wishing for return
Zion Williamson didn’t receive the Christmas present he wanted. If he had, Williamson would not remain sidelined because of his surgically repaired right lateral meniscus.
“If it was up to me,” Williamson told reporters Thursday, “I would’ve been out there two weeks ago.”
Instead, Williamson simply completed his first practice since suffering an injury that has sidelined him for the Pelicans’ first 34 games. Williamson will also miss the Pelicans’ two-game California trip for games against the Lakers (Friday) and the Kings (Saturday). But New Orleans team officials seemed at least encouraged with how Williamson looked in his first practice.
“He’ll play when the time is right for him to do that. When that is, I’m not real sure of,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. “But I know he’s making progress, that’s the thing that matters most.”
When Williamson tore his right lateral meniscus before the season opener, the Pelicans initially sidelined him for the next six to eight weeks. That left open the possibility for Williamson to return sometime in December. The Pelicans stretched that timeline into 2020. They insist they have not thought of ruling him out for his entire rookie season. But they wanted to be cautious with a 19-year-old who already has had a series of injuries.
Williamson sprained his right knee during his freshman season at Duke last year after his right sneaker ripped through the seams. In his summer league debut with the Pelicans, Williamson lasted eight minutes before bruising his left knee. The Pelicans then ruled out their overall No. 1 draft pick for the duration of summer league play. Then, after averaging 23.3 points and shooting 71.4% from the field in preseason play, Williamson sustained his latest injury in an exhibition against San Antonio on Oct. 13.
The practice Thursday was considered light, so they will look to see how Williamson fares in more intense scrimmaging and conditioning drills. “I gotta pass the assessments,” he said.