NBA Moves Rockets-Nuggets off Primetime in Favor of Zion Williamson's Debut
By Brendan Balsamo
Yes, Zion Williamson is a strong, powerful young man. He had one of the best college seasons ever seen at Duke last year, and his status as first overall pick in the NBA Draft makes him must-see television.
However, it seems as though Zion has a power that transcends any physical abilities he may have. Before he even makes his NBA debut, the league is already starting to revolve around him -- and just like that, his first-ever game is being moved to national television!
Zion Williamson's NBA debut has been added to the national television schedule: It's now Wednesday night in San Antonio at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 17, 2020
Zion's debut with the New Orleans Pelicans was moved to a primetime slot on ESPN, replacing the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets matchup, a game which could have playoff ramifications. The currently second-seeded Nuggets are 2.5 games ahead of the sixth-seeded Houston Rockets in the Western Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Pelicans are far out of the playoff mix as a 12 seed, and 3.5 games out of the eighth seed.
Zion Williamson’s debut next Wednesday will be shown on ESPN.
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 17, 2020
They are replacing the Rockets/Nuggets game with the Pelicans/Spurs and changing the start time to 9:30 ET pic.twitter.com/Vkv1ZjDeUP
It seems like the NBA is banking on casual fans and college basketball fans to tune in to see the flashy Williamson over a James Harden-Nikola Jokic faceoff.
ESPN moving Nuggets-Rockets off the network Wednesday night in favor of Zion’s debut makes sense from a business perspective, but it’s a blow to Denver fans whose only (legal) chance to see the team on TV this season is when they are on a national network.
— Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) January 17, 2020
It comes across as a low blow to Nuggets and Rockets fans, since Wednesday's game is such a marquee matchup that could have an effect on how the Western Conference ends up looking by playoff time. To the NBA, though, it's ratings over everything.