Zion Williamson's return is coming soon.
New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin told reporters Wednesday that the No. 1 overall pick from the 2019 NBA Draft is expected to make his regular season debut Jan. 22 versus the San Antonio Spurs.
If Williamson does return against the Spurs, his first game versus the Boston Celtics would be a few days later on Sunday, Jan. 26 in New Orleans (that game can be seen on NBC Sports Boston). The Pelicans were without Williamson when they lost 140-105 to the Celtics at TD Garden last weekend.
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Williamson was sidelined in October after undergoing surgery to repair his torn right lateral meniscus. The Pelicans have struggled in his absence, and they enter Wednesday with a 15-26 record that places them 14th in the Western Conference standings.
The 19-year-old forward is the most hyped rookie since Kevin Durant in 2007-08, and if the Duke product can stay healthy, he is expected to be a franchise cornerstone player for a long time.
His blend of elite size, strength, athleticism and raw basketball skill is incredible, and it's drawn plenty of comparisons to LeBron James' repertoire.
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Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Pistons-Celtics, which tips off Wednesday at 6 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live, and then Mike and Scal have the call at 7 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.