New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry confirmed in his pre-game media availability that No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson will start on Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs.
Gentry added that Williamson will be used in short bursts and that a team official will monitor his workload on the court as Williamson prepares for his debut game with the Pelicans.
“He’ll start. He will be used in short bursts,” Gentry said. “That’s the way that we’re going to try to play it. Obviously, it will be multiple ones. There will be somebody there to monitor it and we’ll go from there.”
Gentry says Zion will start and be used in "short bursts" #Pelicans pic.twitter.com/yHlID7Sruv
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 23, 2020
A report surfaced on Tuesday indicating that the Pelicans’ plan was to start Williamson against the Spurs, something Gentry confirmed prior to the matchup.
The debut of Williamson will be perhaps the most anticipated game for a rookie since LeBron James. Basketball fans even took to social media expressing excitement for the game, calling Wednesday “Zion Day.”
The game between the Pelicans and Spurs is set to tip-off at 9:30 p.m. ET.
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