Pelicans' Zion Williamson: Unlikely to play back-to-backs

Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said Thursday that Williamson (knee) isn't expected to play back-to-back games once the rookie is cleared to make his 2019-20 debut, Will Guillory of The Athletic reports.

Williamson has yet to be cleared for on-court activities, though the Pelicans are making it known early on that they'll carefully monitor the rookie's minutes when he's ultimately given the green light. While Williamson was initially projected to miss 6-to-8 weeks when he underwent surgery Oct. 21 to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, New Orleans has chosen to err on the side of caution and proceed more slowly with his recovery. Kristen Ledlow of NBA TV reported earlier this week that Williamson's return date will "definitely" fall outside that 6-to-8-week window, meaning fantasy managers probably shouldn't expect him to play until January.