Pelicans Reveal Minutes Plan for Zion Williamson in Summer League Debut Against RJ Barrett
By James.r
Zion Williamson has finally arrived. After all the hype that's surrounded him since his high school days, we will get to see Zion take on NBA competition for the first time on Friday. To make things even more fun, he'll be taking on the Knicks and his former Duke teammate RJ Barrett in the Summer League matchup.
After all the excitement, we now have an idea of how long we'll get to see Zion on the court in his debut:
The Pelicans plan for Zion Williamson to play 24-28 minutes in their summer league opener against the New York Knicks on Friday, coach Alvin Gentry said.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) July 5, 2019
It's awesome that Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry will allow Zion to play plenty of minutes Friday, rather than easing him into it with just a few. It will be fun to watch Zion get his feet wet, even if it's only against young competition in the Summer League.
Williamson was the first-overall pick in this year's NBA draft after one incredible season at Duke. He finished his true freshman season with 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game against some of Division I's best competition.
"Zion train is coming our way"@Zionwilliamson #SummerPelicans pic.twitter.com/KlDaTUuGfx
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) July 3, 2019
Getting the first-overall pick in the lottery could have been the good fortune the Pelicans needed to turn the franchise around. We'll get our first look at their potential savior on Friday.