#Zion Williamson ‘intends to rejoin team’ after leaving bubble

“#Zion Williamson ‘intends to rejoin team’ after leaving bubble”

July 22, 2020 | 6:56pm

Even outside the bubble, Zion Williamson continues to be tested daily for COVID-19.

The New Orleans Pelicans announced Wednesday that their star rookie, who left Orlando’s NBA campus last week because of an “urgent family matter,” has continued to test negative for the coronavirus since he has been away from the team, potentially accelerating Williamson’s return to the court when he returns to Florida. Williamson’s required quarantine period could last anywhere from four days to two weeks and will be determined by the league.

“While there is no current timetable for his return to campus, he fully intends to rejoin the team,” a team statement read. “Per NBA protocol, his quarantine period will be determined upon his return.”

The Pelicans (28-36), who are scheduled to play their first game of the restarted season on July 30 against the Jazz, are currently 3 1/2 games back of the Grizzlies for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They need to be within four games of the No. 8 seed in order to force a play-in series, which would require two Pelicans wins for the team to advance.

New Orleans played the majority of the season without its No. 1 overall pick, who didn’t debut until Jan. 22 because of a knee injury. Upon returning, Williamson dominated as he did during his one incredible season at Duke, averaging 23.6 points and 6.8 rebounds, while shooting 58.9 percent from the field and leading the team to an 11-9 record, before the season was suspended on March 11.

“I reached out to Zion and I told him we’re going to do our best to hold it down for him until he gets back, whenever that is,” veteran JJ Redick recently said on his self-titled podcast. “As a teammate, he is a family member, so we will do our best to keep this thing rolling. Whatever is going on, we want the best for him. I feel awful for him because so much of this season has been a rollercoaster for him and it seemed like he was in such a good place so, hopefully, we get him back soon.”