It's about three months later than many hoped, but the basketball world will finally get to see Zion Williamson suit up for his first NBA game. After undergoing surgery to repair his meniscus in his right knee, the recovery process for Williamson took a lot longer than expected. Originally, he was expected to be sidelined 6-to-8 weeks, but that timetable came and went, and as the Pelicans continued to rack up losses many began to wonder when Williamson would make his debut this season.
The Pelicans wanted to ensure that Williamson was 100 percent healthy before seeing any game action, so they reportedly worked on him learning how to run and walk differently to avoid future injuries. Now, after missing nearly 13 weeks, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft is set to make his debut against the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night. The anticipation surrounding his first NBA game is up there with LeBron James' debut, and it's been the only thing on Williamson's mind during his rehab process.
"Honestly, I don't know if I'm going to get sleep," Williamson said via ESPN. "I'll be too excited thinking about my first NBA game."
Williamson will be returning to a Pelicans team that is in a much better place than they were about a month ago. With some newfound aggression from Lonzo Ball and All-Star play from Brandon Ingram New Orleans is now only 3.5 games back of the No. 8 spot in the West playoff race. They'll be going up against a Spurs team that has hovered around that eighth spot all season, so it should be an entertaining matchup. Let's breakdown both sides of this game and make some predictions.
How to watch
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 22 | 9:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Smoothie King Center -- New Orleans, Louisiana
- TV: ESPN | Stream: WatchESPN
- Odds: NO -170 | SA +145 | O/U: 237
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Storylines
Pelicans: All eyes will be on Williamson in his NBA debut. The Pelicans have gone 6-4 in their last 10 games, so seeing how Zion fits in with this team will be something to focus on in this game. It'll be interesting to see what role David Gentry has him play. Will he be the starting power forward while Derrick Favors moves to center? Is he going to be on a minutes restriction at all? Everyone will be waiting for the first Ball-to-Williamson lob pass for an emphatic dunk, or the first time he rips down an offensive board and goes back up with the full force of a MAC truck to dunk it, but it's important to not set expectations too high.
He hasn't played in an incredibly long time, and it's going to take months before he's found a rhythm with this team, but there will surely be highlight-level plays everyone can look forward to, as well as some bully-ball defense on the other end of the floor. The Pelicans rank 26th in defensive rating (112.6), and bringing Williamson into the fold will only improve that as he's an absolute force in the paint on defense. Seeing how this young core adjusts to Williamson will be an interesting process to watch unfold, but it'll also be incredibly entertaining, too.
Spurs: While everyone is going to be focused on Williamson's debut,, it's important for San Antonio to not succumb to the moment. This is a team that has about as bad of a defense as New Orleans does, and if it doesn't want to be on the end of like 10-to-15 Zion lob dunks, then it's going to be crucial for LaMarcus Aldridge and Jakob Poeltl to keep him in check. Since the new year, DeMar DeRozan has been shooting incredibly well, and is the reason the Spurs are still in position to fight for a playoff spot. He's been averaging 26.6 points since the beginning of January to go along with 6.5 in both assists and rebounds.
San Antonio has slowly turned things around during that time span, picking up huge wins over the Bucks, Celtics, Raptors and Heat, and have the seventh-best offensive rating (115.7) to show for it. The Spurs are shooting 37.8 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks fourth in the league since Jan. 1, while their bench is averaging the fourth-most points in the league (45.9) during that span.
Zion prop bets
Total points by Williamson
| O/U: 14 1/2 | Odds |
|---|---|
Over | -110 |
Under | -110 |
Total rebounds by Williamson
| O/U: 6 | Odds |
|---|---|
Over | -110 |
Under | -110 |
*Courtesy of Westgate
Game prediction, pick
This is going to be an all offense, no defense type of game as both teams have the ability to push up the scoreboard and are incredibly lacking on the defensive side of the floor. The Pelicans will have the advantage of not only being at home but having the excitement of Williamson's debut to motivate them. However, they'll be going up against a well-coached Gregg Popovich team, which is never an easy task. Zion will dazzle in his debut, but in the end, the Spurs will spoil it with big nights from DeRozan and Aldridge. Pick: Spurs +3.5
