When the clock strikes midnight, Zion Williamson ought to be asleep if he wants to be fully rested for his NBA debut with the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
But chances are he’ll be wide awake.
“Honestly, I don’t know if I’m going to get sleep,” Williamson said Tuesday, per ESPN’s Andrew Lopez. “I’ll be too excited thinking about my first NBA game.”
Williamson has yet to play this season after undergoing knee surgery on Oct. 21. His rehabilitation has been long, and he’s even had to learn new ways to walk and run to avoid re-injuring himself.
It was an aggravating process for Williamson, to say the least.
“There’s a lot of times when I wanted to punch a wall or kick chairs because it’s frustrating,” Williamson said. “To not be able to move your body the way you want to, not to make any athletic movements; I mean, it’s tough. Especially because I’m 19 and I haven’t even played my first NBA game. It was tough but I battled through it.”
His patience will pay off Wednesday when he takes the court against the San Antonio Spurs. And we’re sure fans will be delighted to see him, too.
