New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson is expected to miss multiple weeks to start the regular season, as a result of a right knee injury he suffered during the preseason.
That said, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the injury isn't severe and that the Pelicans are treating the issue "with an abundance of caution" to ensure that he makes a full recovery before taking the floor again.
Needless to say, this puts on a damper on the NBA's opening night, when Zion's Pelicans will visit the Toronto Raptors in the first game of TNT's double-header. The 19-year old phenom lived up to the hype in four preseason games, averaging 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds to go along with plenty of highlight reel dunks.
In his lone season with the Duke Blue Devils, Zion was awarded the AP Player of the Year in a landslide after posting 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. He has the highest expectations of any rookie since LeBron James entered the league in 2003, and it's going to be a blast to see how his rookie season pans out.
And the wait is almost over - but we'll have to wait patiently for at least a few more weeks until he makes his regular season debut.