As the NBA regular season begins its final week, Zion Williamson has not yet returned to action for the Pelicans. However, that might not be the case for much longer, according to the 21-year-old’s stepfather.
In an appearance on “The Jordy Culotta Show,” Lee Anderson said that he “expects” Williamson, his stepson, to play for New Orleans before the season is over.
“I expect him to play. If you were to ask Zion, I’m sure he would probably say the same thing,” Anderson said, per ESPN’s Andrew Lopez. “But with just a couple of games left, with the magnitude of what’s going on in New Orleans and the opportunity to qualify for the play-in game and possibly get into a seven-game series, that would be off the charts in the city of New Orleans. That would be a plus in New Orleans. That would be a plus for Zion with the way things are right now.”
“Do I expect him to play? Certainly I do. That’s on me though. That’s purely me. I don’t think there’s anything else that would hinder him from doing that right now.”
Williamson has been cleared by the Pelicans to complete 1-on-1 work as he continues to recover from a fractured foot that has sidelined him for the entire season. Although the organization has been encouraged about the former No. 1 pick’s recent progress, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that he was not expected to return during the 2021–22 campaign in late March.
"He's feeling great," Anderson said. "Speaking for the Pelicans staff, and not saying any names, they mentioned to me that they are just one player away from being where we need to be at. That was enough for me to know that they are putting some stock in Zion getting healthy and being ready for the long haul.
“But my thing with the long haul, you have to wait on it. The short haul, sometimes when you’re faced with an opportunity right now, you never know when you’re going to be presented with that opportunity again in the long haul or how long it’ll be from that time. I’m a guy that believes in taking advantage of the moment at hand. Let’s deal with it right now and let’s go forward and see what happens.”
Anderson also addressed rumors that have floated around the league about the Williamson family being frustrated about being in New Orleans. He disputed claims about a supposed rift between the superstar and the Pelicans’ front office, saying that the only frustrations are those that have come with losing.
“We have not sourced information to anybody on Zion’s behalf at any time,” Anderson said of the Williamson family. “If anybody can come back and say we said that, we’ll discount that. We’re enjoying New Orleans. We’re enjoying the fabric. We love the pickups that the Pelicans have made the last month or so. We’re excited about that. We think the acquisitions they have made and Zion being on the mend 110%, we think the future is very bright in New Orleans right now.”
With four regular season games remaining, the Pelicans (34–44) are in possession of the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference.
