New York Knicks fans will have to wait for their first glimpse of Zion Williamson playing under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.
Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. That is when Zion Williamson will make his NBA debut in Madison Square Garden. The New Orleans Pelicans are playing the New York Knicks in their preseason finale on Friday, but Williamson won’t be participating.
According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN, Williamson will be staying put in New Orleans after experiencing some right knee soreness. Hopefully, this is just a precaution because the entire world is waiting to see what Zion can do at the next level.
Preseason statistics should always have a disclaimer, but meaningless or not, Williamson is putting up gaudy preseason numbers. The human tank is averaging 23.3 points on 71.4% shooting and he’s scoring with ease.
If this is any indication of what Zion is going to be like in the regular season, the rest of the league is in trouble.
During the 2018-19 season, the Knicks tanked for Williamson but were jumped by the Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies in the lottery. The Knicks took RJ Barrett with the third overall pick and the rest is history. Williamson and Barrett were teammates together for one season at Duke before going first and third overall.
During Las Vegas Summer League, the Knicks and the Pelicans met in their very first game, but Williamson only played in the first half. That Knicks-Pelicans broadcast was the highest-rated Summer League game in NBA history.
Barrett will likely play big minutes against the Pelicans on Friday. He’s averaging 38 minutes per game through three preseason games thus far.
