Finally, the wait is about over. The 2019 no. 1 overall pick for the New Orleans Pelicans – Zion Williamson – will return to the starting lineup soon.
This report hails from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. On Friday, Woj reported on NBA Countdown that New Orleans wants to get a few more full practices in for their franchise cornerstone. Then, it’s time to unleash the fury.
.@wojespn on just now on NBA Countdown about Zion Williamson:
“They want him on the floor a few more times and then they’re going to bring him back. The knee is healthy. The meniscus is healed. The playing weight is where they expected it to be and want it to be.”
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) January 4, 2020
Equally important is that Williamson’s knee is healed, and his weight is in a good place. Indeed, his playing weight will become a conversation for a number of years as he settles in to being an NBA regular.
Here’s what Wojnarowski said, confirming as much.
“They want him on the floor a few more times, and then they’re going to bring him back. The knee is healthy. The meniscus is healed. The playing weight is where they expected it to be and want it to be.”
Obviously, we have stepped up our game on this storyline and for good reason. Immediately New Orleans becomes one of the more compelling franchises in the NBA with Zion, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Jaxson Hayes among others dotting the roster.
Currently, New Orleans is 11-23 and ahead of only the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference. Therefore they’re probably headed for another lottery pick. Still, fans of this elite 19-year old talent are going to get their chance to see what he can do.
Williamson figures to attract new eyes to the sport and connect the younger generation to the game, as well as some dads who are my age and have put the league on pause for a number of years.
The bottom line is there is a lot of interest surrounding this guy, because the league hasn’t seen a unique talent like his in a number of years. Recently, one of his base rookie cards sold for over $1,000 dollars. That is a fraction of what the market will demand if he lives up to the hype.
