KEY POINTS

  • Zion Williamson's stepdad Lee Anderson talks about the player's current state of mind
  • Anderson shares what he has been told about the plans surrounding Williamson
  • The former No. 1 draft pick could still be a key figure in the Pelicans in the years to come

Almost everyone in Zion Williamson’s circle is looking forward for his NBA return.

Williamson last suited up for the New Orleans Pelicans in May of last year. He has been out of the picture all season, the New Orleans Pelicans would definitely need his services as they hope to make it to the play-in tournament.

Providing an update about Williamson’s current status and state of mind, his stepfather Lee Anderson said that everyone, including the former No. 1 draft pick, would want to play and rejoin the Pelicans right now.

"I expect him to play,” Anderson said on The Jordy Culotta Show. “If you were to ask Zion, I'm sure he would probably say the same thing. 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,” he continued. “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."

Zion Williamson
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson shooting a free throw during an NBA game. Getty Images/Joe Murphy

Just before the trade deadline, the Pelicans signed versatile scoring guard CJ McCollum via a multi-player trade with the Portland Trail Blazers.

It didn’t take long for McCollum to make his mark on the team as he quickly became New Orlean’s top scorer, having averaged 26 points per game to date.

For Anderson, it doesn’t really matter who the Pelicans bring in as the management has personally informed him that the plan is still to build around Williamson.

In fact, Anderson even said that the Pelicans are still considering pairing up Williamson with one more player.

"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,” he shared.

“That was enough for me to know that they are putting some stock in Zion getting healthy and being ready for the long haul."

The Pelicans are holding on to the ninth spot in the West and will be looking to win all three games left in the regular season.

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