'Genetic Marvel' Zion Williamson Will Return in 2019, Thinks Pelicans' Griffin

New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said Friday he expects rookie forward Zion Williamson will make his NBA debut before the end of 2019.

Griffin called Williamson, who required knee surgery for an injury suffered during the preseason, a "genetic marvel" during an ESPN interview and confirmed things are already trending in the right direction, per Jeff Nowak of the Times-Picayune.

"[Zion is] doing really well," Griffin said. "He's, I think, in really good spirits. … We think his recovery will be really smooth."

The Pelicans have shown they are going to play it safe with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft. He suffered a minor knee injury during his first appearance in the Las Vegas Summer League, and they quickly ruled him out for the rest of the tournament.

Williamson shined while on the floor during the preseason, averaging 23.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 71.4 percent from the floor across four appearances.

Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry said the hype the 6'6'', 284-pound forward created in NOLA is unlike anything he's witnessed in three decades.

"The only thing that would come close for me to what we're experiencing with Zion would be David Robinson getting out of the Navy and coming to San Antonio," Gentry told Jere Longman of the New York Times on Tuesday.

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported Williamson is expected to miss between six to eight weeks to recover from the surgery.

That would put the 19-year-old Duke product on pace to return sometime in December. It's possible his first game could be a Christmas Day clash with the Denver Nuggets if the Pelicans decide to play it safe and keep him sidelined for the entire eight weeks, assuming there's no setbacks.

Derrick Favors, Nicolo Melli and Jahlil Okafor will split the frontcourt minutes in Williamson's absence. Brandon Ingram will also see time at the 4 with New Orleans running a lot of small ball.