Duke basketball: Zion Williamson returns to practice following quarantine

Former Duke basketball star Zion Williamson has returned to practice with his New Orleans Pelicans teammates following his self-quarantine.

All systems are a go for the New Orleans Pelicans as they have their full roster ready at the disposal of head coach Alvin Gentry for the restart of the NBA season.

New Orleans star rookie Zion Williamson left the bubble over a week ago to attend to an urgent family matter but continued to test negative for COVID-19 every day outside the bubble and also upon his return.

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However, according to the NBA’s rules and regulations it put into place for such an occurrence in this period of isolation, Williamson was required to quarantine upon his arrival back in Orlando, and that quarantine period is now over.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday evening that Williamson was joining his teammates on the practice court, but Alvin Gentry said that the former Duke Blue Devil did not take part in any 5-on-5 drills.

A determination will be made on the former No. 1 overall pick’s status for Thursday’s opener against the Utah Jazz as the Pelicans will be in the first game back to resume the NBA’s season.

Zion Williamson will still have one more chance to get on the practice floor prior to the game in hopes of leading his team to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

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The Pelicans are currently in a three-way tie with the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings for the No. 9 seed as the three teams all trail the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies by three and a half games.

A knee injury limited Zion Williamson’s time on the floor prior to the league’s shutdown, but after just 19 games in his rookie season, he is averaging 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

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Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30pm EST on Thursday, July 30, and the game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz can be seen on TNT.

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