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New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson has been patient as he returns from a torn meniscus and reportedly relearns how to run and walk.
But if it were up to him, he would be playing by now.
“If it was up to me, I would have been out there two weeks ago,” he told reporters on Thursday, according to ESPN.
Williamson returned to the court for his first full practice since having surgery to repair his torn meniscus. He said he’s even had kids come up to him and ask him when he’s going to play.
“I'm like, 'I'm not ready man, I'm not ready,'” the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft said. “They'll look at me and beg me to come back, and it sucks to look at them and go, 'Not yet, lil' man.’”
While coach Alvin Gentry has been encouraged about Williamson’s participation, the Duke product is not going to be playing in full games just yet.
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“I know that's typical, but we really do have to take it a day at a time to see what kind of progress he makes,” Gentry said. “See what happens after he goes through practices and things like that. Like we said and will continue to say, he'll play when the time is right for him to do that. When that is, I'm not real sure of. But I know he's making progress, that's the thing that matters most.”
Williamson said he still has to clear some benchmarks set by the team before he can play.
The 19-year-old told ESPN last month that he “trusts the organization” even though the 6- to 8-week recovery plan has taken longer than expected. A source told ESPN that the team wants Williamson to undergo two or three practices before doing full work.
New Orleans selected Williamson with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft out of Duke. He was the nation’s top player with the Blue Devils and delighted fans with his thunderous dunks and sensational blocks.
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However, he was shut down during the NBA Summer League because of an injury and then he tore his meniscus in the preseason. He was originally expected to return in time for the Christmas Day game against the Denver Nuggets, but he did not play.
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