Zion Williamson will not play Friday night on the road against the New York Knicks but the No. 1 overall pick did participate in shootaround Friday morning ahead of the matchup.
With the New Orleans Pelicans set to make their lone appearance of the season at Madison Square Garden, Williamson was seen getting up shots and participating in various drills on the parquet floor. Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry said on Friday that he didn’t want to put the pressure of debuting in New York City on Williamson.
Williamson has made progress in his recovery from knee surgery in recent weeks and appears close to returning. On Tuesday, Williamson made further progress and took part in 5-on-5 drills for the first time since undergoing knee surgery on Oct. 21.
Williamson has said that if it were up to him, he would be playing so the Pelicans are certainly being cautious with his recovery. Gentry has said that Williamson will be on a minutes restriction and will likely even sit during back-to-backs.
As for when Williamson will make his debut, that remains unclear. The Pelicans are not going to rush him back but all signs are pointing for a January return to the court.
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