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Andrew LopezESPN
DENVER — If it were up to Zion Williamson, he would have already made his NBA debut for the New Orleans Pelicans.
That’s what the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft told ESPN’s Jorge Sedano prior to the Pelicans’ Christmas night game against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.
Williamson told Sedano that he “trusts the organization” in their decision making and also shared that his rehab process has been about more than just the recovery from surgery to repair the torn meniscus in his right knee.
The 19-year-old also said the Pelicans are trying to re-teach him how to walk and run differently – working on the kinetic chain of his body.
In the last week, Williamson has slowly started working his way back. He’s done individual shooting drills and group drills but hasn’t gone 5-on-5 or even 3-on-3 just yet, only 5-on-0 drills.
After the Pelicans have finished a shootaround or practice in the last week, Williamson has stayed back with a group of Pelicans coaches and staffers and worked for anywhere from an hour to 90 minutes walking through plays and running up and down the court.
Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has said that Williamson has to pass preseason conditioning tests before he’s cleared to make his debut.
The preseason conditioning tests are similar to the way an NFL player takes a test preseason in case of a concussion.
A source within the organization told ESPN before Williamson makes his on-court return, the team would like him to undergo at least two or three practices doing full work. A source told Sedano the team is targeting just after the new year for those practices.
Williamson averaged 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds on 71.4 percent shooting for the Pelicans in the preseason in four games. He missed the final game because of knee soreness and had surgery on Oct. 21, the day before the regular season started.