Zion Williamson is doing everything he can to put to rest any talk about him not wanting the New Orleans Pelicans to draft him.
On Thursday morning, Williamson’s stepfather told ESPN Radio that Zion returning to Duke for his sophomore season is “nothing that we have even considered.” There was also a report that Williamson had a positive meeting with the Pelicans this week, and now we have the 18-year-old’s high school coach saying he spoke with Williamson’s family and Zion would be “honored” to play for New Orleans.
Breaking: Zion Williamson’s high school coach (Lee Sartor) just joined us live and said Zion will not be returning to Duke nor will he ask for a trade.
In communication with Zion’s family, they’ve said Zion will be honored to be drafted by the @PelicansNBA.
— Marc Ryan (@MarcRyanOnAir) May 16, 2019
In other words, that narrative can go away.
Williamson went against the advice of many people by even playing an entire season for Duke last year, as he was considered the consensus No. 1 pick all along and was risking a potential injury. While he remained committed to Duke, playing another season when he is about to become the top pick in the NBA Draft would be an insane decision.
The reports about Williamson reacting a certain way during the draft lottery may have been true, but that does not mean he is going to go to great measures to avoid playing for the Pelicans. Every star player would like to hand-pick the team that drafts him, but it doesn’t work that way.
