There’s no doubt, Zion Williamson’s debut as a pro is getting closer. Recently we wrote that the New Orleans Pelicans are targeting a January return. Now the big news is that on Thursday, Williamson completed his first full contact practice since the injury.
Obviously, this is all circling towards one night when we are watching Williamson on a TNT national TV broadcast; or ESPN will do something like buying the rights to the game. It’s going to be a big night for the NBA – and some who watched Lebron James’ debut with the Cavs in 2003 may remember the broadcast of that game.
Gentry Zion Williamson was able to go through a full practice today. First time since his surgery.
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 2, 2020
What’s interesting is Williamson says that little kids will walk up to him and ask him when he’s going to play. Indeed, these are the same kids who play as him on games like NBA2k20.
“I’m like, ‘I’m not ready man, I’m not ready,'” Williamson said. “They’ll look at me and beg me to come back, and it sucks to look at them and go, ‘Not yet, lil’ man.'”
Still, getting through a first practice is a step in that direction.
“If it was up to me, I would’ve been out there two weeks ago or something,” Williamson said. “It was just good to get back out there.”
For instance, here’s what the top five players in the league could look like in a few seasons. This should help put things in perspective. This is from a very popular NBA fan account:
https://twitter.com/MjsGoat/status/1210939602174980102?s=20
It’s great to hear that Zion is feeling good. We will have more on this story as it develops.
