First off, Happy Martin Luther King Day to everyone. Today is a day that the NBA has games pretty much wall-to-wall, so we will have some nuggets that come out of that action as the day goes on. Furthermore, we are about 48 hours from the debut of New Orleans Pelicans phenom Zion Williamson.
If you think it’s not a big deal – ESPN has juggled things to throw the Pelicans on the Worldwide Leader on Wednesday night against the Spurs. Marc Stein who covers the NBA tweeted this update. Also, I saw a commercial on ESPN yesterday, and they’re giving Williamson the red carpet treatment.
Zion Williamson's NBA debut has been added to the national television schedule: It's now Wednesday night in San Antonio at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 17, 2020
Also, The Ringer has some decent hoops coverage. They wrote today about what we can expect from Williamson.
All eyes will be on Zion Williamson as he makes his long-awaited debut on Wednesday, but what will the no. 1 pick look like on the floor? Plus, All-Star voting dilemmas and teams mulling trade deadline decisions.@PaoloUggetti: https://t.co/aEsrNwRVrQ
— RingerNBA (@ringernba) January 20, 2020
Here’s what they said:
So what will we see? An excessive amount of coverage, lots of dunks (especially pregame), and a player who has not played basketball in months. I’m not here to tamp down expectations but, as I wrote two weeks ago, it will take time for Zion to get his rhythm and tempo back. (In 2018, Jimmy Butler had a torn meniscus, like Zion, sat out two months, and came back for the playoffs, but never quite looked like his usual self.) Still, that doesn’t mean he won’t dominate our televisions with plenty of jaw-dropping plays.
Beyond the glitz and glamour, the Zion debut will be an interesting, if incomplete, window into how the second half of the season will look for the Pelicans. This is a team that has vaulted back into the mix thanks to All-Star contributions from Brandon Ingram, improved play from Lonzo Ball, and the return of Derrick Favors. How will Alvin Gentry fold Zion into the mix? He’s not exactly a plug-in type player, but at the same time, his potential impact on both ends is exactly what could take New Orleans from a fringe playoff team fighting for the no. 8 seed to one that no one wants to play.
If that’s the case, sign me up! We have been writing about Zion for a long time, and the excitement was there to see him play when he injured his knee on the eve of the regular season beginning. As the season makes way through the second half, he should be getting plenty of run time for the highlight dunks and other shenanigans.
