Duke basketball: Zion Williamson to play in opener on minutes restriction
Former Duke basketball sensation Zion Williamson will play for the New Orleans Pelicans in their restart opener but will be on limited minutes.
Zion Williamson will officially play tonight for the New Orleans Pelicans, according to a report from Chris Haynes from Yahoo! Sports.
Williamson had previously been listed as a game-time decision because of his departure from the bubble for eight days and a four-day self-quarantine upon his arrival back into the bubble in Orlando, Florida.
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The Pelicans cited concerns with their No. 1 pick’s conditioning after his time away from the team, but Zion Williamson was able to practice with his team over the last two days.
New Orleans also announced that its rookie star would be playing after tweeting a video of Williamson minutes after Haynes’ report.
Haynes said that Zion will not be officially under a minutes restriction but that the Pelicans will monitor his workload and try to play him in “short bursts.”
The term “short bursts” has been common when it concerns Zion Williamson, as it was also used on him in his first NBA game back from knee surgery on January 22 against the San Antonio Spurs.
Sources: Williamson will play in short quick burst, not necessarily a minutes restriction. https://t.co/sxvYGfZgms
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 30, 2020
Williamson caught fire in the fourth quarter in his debut, but head coach Alvin Gentry ultimately pulled his star, and the Pelicans then squandered the lead late in the game and eventually lost.
ALSO READ: Zion Williamson ruled as ‘game-time decision’ for the opener
Wins are at such a premium for the Pelicans in their eight remaining regular season games in the bubble as the team trails the Memphis Grizzlies by three and a half games for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
The Pelicans are also tied with the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings for the No. 9 seed.
Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30pm EST between the Pelicans and Utah Jazz as the NBA is welcomed back with a doubleheader that also features the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers at 9:00pm EST.
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Both games can be seen on TNT.