Pelicans' Zion Williamson expected to debut Friday
Yesterday at 04:24 PM
The New Orleans Pelicans kicked off the 2024-25 season with a commanding victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. The Pelicans will take on their next matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, and after a brief period of uncertainty, star forward Zion Williamson has received an encouraging injury update for the matchup.
Williamson missed New Orleans’ practice the day before their season opener with an illness and was ruled out of the Bulls matchup. However, Williamson went through a full practice on Thursday, and there is a strong expectation he will be available for the Pelicans’ upcoming four-game road trip, including Friday’s Trail Blazers game, per Oleh Kosel.
It is great to hear that Zion Williamson is injury-free. The fifth-year forward had one of his most promising seasons in 2023-24. He played a career-high 70 games and averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks. Williamson went through a body transformation during the 2024 offseason that has fans excited for what he can do in 2024-25.
Williamson and the Pelicans are making a concerted effort to expand their offense. In early October, head coach Willie Green spoke about the importance of the team being bought in on taking more quality three-pointers.
"(As a player) I’ve got to work on that shot and I’ve got to be able to make it," Green stated, per ClutchPoints’ Chris Dodson. "For me (as a coach), it’s about becoming more comfortable with knowing that those are great looks for us. Those are quality shots. It’s having our guards prepared to take those shots and take them with confidence. When they miss a couple I got to still be okay with that because, over the course of the season, it's proven that we're a pretty good three-point team."
If Williamson in particular can develop a more consistent deep-range shot, the league will see an even scarier version of him.
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