When will we see Zion Williamson in action?

NBA Insider Shams Charania reported yesterday that the New Orleans Pelicans and superstar rookie Zion Williamson are “hopeful” he’ll make his NBA debut in January.

But haven’s we heard that before? Initially, he was expected to return sometime in December after undergoing surgery to repair a torn right lateral meniscus prior to the season’s start.

But Williamson still hasn’t played a single NBA game. As a result, some people start to wonder if he would ultimately miss the entirety of his rookie season (like Ben Simmons and Blake Griffin before him).

The problems for Zion Williams started during his first appearance in the 2019 Las Vegas Summer League where he suffered a knee injury. In the meantime, he has already surpassed the six-to-eight week timetable given after he underwent surgery on his meniscus on Oct. 21.

So now the Pelicans hope to see him in action in January. But at the same time, the Pelicans are well outside of the playoff picture in the West and thus would have little to play for by the time of an eventual return from Williamson.