New Orleans Pelicans fans will need to wait longer than expected for the official beginning of the Zion Williamson era.
Williamson, the top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, is expected to miss a period of weeks with a right knee injury to start the regular season, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.
The Pelicans are being cautious with their prized rookie, per Wojnarowski, who added that Williamson avoided a serious injury and that New Orleans is confident the 19-year-old will make a full recovery.
Williamson, who missed three weeks of his only season at Duke with a mild right knee sprain, was sidelined during the summer league after banging his left knee in an on-court collision. He returned in the preseason and was excellent, averaging 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game across four contests, but Williamson didn’t travel with the team to New York for Friday’s preseason game against the Knicks, instead staying in New Orleans for further testing.
The Pelicans drafted Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick in June after shockingly winning the NBA Draft lottery. He’s expected to become the face of the franchise in the wake of New Orleans trading Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers over the offseason.
