New Orleans Pelicans’ rookie Zion Williamson, the number 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, would have already made his official debut for the team, if the decision was up to him, but is instead trusting the team’s plans for his eventual return, according to ESPN’s Jorge Sedano.
Williamson, 19, said that he “trusts the organization” in its decision-making, adding that his rehab process has been about more than just the recovery from surgery to repair the torn meniscus in his right knee. Williamson said that the team is truing to teach him how to walk and run differently while working on the kinetic chain of his body.
The past week has seen Williamson make progress, as he has done individual shooting drills and group drills, however he has not participated in 5-on-5 or 3-on-3 drills, only playing in 5-0 drills for the team.
Following team shootarounds and practice, Williamson has stayed back with a group of coaches and staffers and worked for around an hour and/or up to 90 minutes, walking through plays and running up and down the court.
“He is making progress” Pelicans’ head coach Alvin Gentry said. “He is in rehab. He is doing everything that he’s supposed to do and he’s moving forward toward playing.”
Before the highly-touted rookie makes his debut, the team would like Williamson to undergo at least two or three practices doing full work, and the team is likely targeting just after the new year for those practices to take place.
Williamson seems to be headed in the right direction, in what has been a heavily delayed debut to his NBA career.