Zion Williamson set to make NBA debut against Spurs: Pelicans VP David Griffin

The No.1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Zion Williamson is scheduled to make his long-awaited NBA debut on January 22, 2020 (January 23 IST) when New Orleans Pelicans host San Antonio Spurs. Multiple reports suggested that Williamson could actually make his debut on Thursday night (Friday IST) against Utah Jazz. However, Pelicans Executive Vice President David Griffin recently confirmed that those reports were incorrect. 

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Zion Williamson to make debut against Spurs

While speaking to the media, David Griffin addressed Zion Williamson's injury status and refuted claims that he could make his debut against Jazz. Griffin revealed that the plan for Williamson is to participate in more practice sessions before he could make his NBA debut. Williamson suffered a torn right meniscus back in October 2019.

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He subsequently underwent surgery, a day before the team’s season-opening road loss to the Toronto Raptors. The 19-year-old was initially expected to make a comeback in 6-8 weeks. However, multiple setbacks meant that Zion Williamson has already missed more than 40 games this season. Griffin added that Williamson is now fully fit and is already practising with the Pelicans. Along with his return date, he also confirmed that Williamson's playing time against Spurs will only be determined by his performance on the court. 

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Zion Williamson, 19, was present on the bench on Monday night (Tuesday IST) when the Pelicans beat Detriot Pistons. New Orleans currently lie 14th in the Western Conference with a 15-26 (win-loss) record. Pelicans would face the Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies before they take on San Antonio Spurs next week.

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