Williamson debuts; Pelicans’ revamped lineup postponed amid injuries

After sitting out the Pelicans’ season opener on Wednesday, Zion Williamson was cleared to make his long-awaited season debut on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers, as reported by Anne M. Peterson of The Associated Press.

Head coach Willie Green described Williamson’s return as “huge” for the team, emphasizing the importance of having one of their star players back on the court.

However, Green noted that Williamson will be on a minutes restriction, although he didn’t provide an exact limit for his playing time.

“It won’t be full throttle, but we’ll see how he feels once he gets on the floor,” Green said, indicating that Williamson’s workload would be managed carefully to ensure he can ease back into gameplay without risking further setbacks.

Stepping into a critical role, Williamson replaced Dejounte Murray, who was set to be the Pelicans’ new starting point guard until he suffered a broken bone in his hand during Wednesday’s game.

Christian Clark of NOLA.com highlighted that Murray’s unexpected injury changed the complexion of New Orleans’ lineup, which was highly anticipated to be revamped this season.

As a result, the Pelicans’ starting five on Friday appeared nearly identical to last year’s lineup, with only one notable change: Daniel Theis filled in for Jonas Valanciunas, who recently departed from the team.

With Murray expected to remain sidelined until at least late November and possibly into December, Coach Green will have to delay his plans for an upgraded starting lineup.

The Pelicans will continue with a familiar core group until Murray’s return, giving Green and his coaching staff additional time to assess how Williamson and other key players adapt and perform in the meantime.