No. 1 overall draft pick Zion Williamson is inching closer to his NBA debut.
David Griffin, general manager of the New Orleans Pelicans, said Tuesday night 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. They lost to the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday night, 108-101 in overtime — for 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 Oct. 21. The Pelicans initially said they anticipated he’d miss six to eight weeks. He can take part in full weight-bearing exercises, and he took shots in the Pelicans’ shootaround on Tuesday.
“We’re really excited with where he’s at,” Griffin said on the television broadcast of the game against the Nets. “He’s made really good progress. I know we’ve reached the eight-week point, and everyone is ready to see him. I think we’re a little ways 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’s 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 teammates, the way they responded to him, the joy he has when he’s on the floor is evident. And we’ve obviously needed that.”