KD calls Zion 'one of one' ahead of Pels-Nets tilt

NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets prima guardant Kevin Durant studies the crippled and its past arsenic overmuch arsenic immoderate apical subordinate successful the NBA today. That's wherefore his praise of New Orleans Pelicans young guardant Zion Williamson arsenic a "one of one" benignant of endowment speaks volumes astir the benignant of quality helium believes the 22-year-old possesses.

"You've seen guys astatine that size, 6-7, that tin get up and down the level and move, but not astatine that level, though," Durant said aft Monday's practice. "You've seen guys similar Jason Maxiell, I'm not saying they leap arsenic precocious arsenic Zion, but they were undersized guys that played bigger. And Zion's 1 of those guys. Rodney Rogers -- I'm missing truthful galore guys that were that gangly astatine 6-6, Charles Barkley bruiser-type guys but played bigger. But Zion's athleticism trumps each of theirs by far. And erstwhile you adhd that to the mix, it makes him a 1 of one."

The Nets play against Williamson and the Pelicans successful their regular-season opener Wednesday nighttime astatine Barclays Center. Despite the information that Williamson hasn't played since May 4, 2021, and sat retired the full 2021-22 play due to the fact that of a close ft injury, Durant is inactive expecting Williamson to play astatine a precocious level.

"Excitement," Durant said of Williamson being backmost connected the floor. "Athleticism. Somebody that tin enactment up points beauteous fast. It's a matchup occupation for a batch of people, truthful we got our enactment chopped retired [with] him, and past you got 2 different scorers down him [in Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum] that tin people from each levels. So we got our enactment chopped retired for us, but it's going to beryllium breathtaking times erstwhile guys get healthy, particularly the marquee guys successful this league."

Williamson rolled his near ankle connected Wednesday against the Miami Heat but declared pursuing the crippled that helium was fine. The Pelicans held Williamson retired of their last preseason crippled connected Friday and constricted him successful signifier connected Sunday.

On Monday, Williamson went done a afloat signifier and said, "Oh, I'm playing Wednesday," erstwhile asked astir his availability for the play opener.

"I didn't truly get to signifier afloat [Sunday] due to the fact that they were taking precautionary measures, but the past 2 days of signifier person been intense," Williamson said. "I deliberation it's been large for our squad building, and I deliberation we're acceptable for the season."

Monday was 1 of the fewer practices the Pelicans person had since grooming campy opened erstwhile the projected starting 5 -- Williamson, Ingram, McCollum, Jonas Valanciunas and Herb Jones -- were each a afloat go.

"I deliberation it was precise important for us," Williamson said. "You don't wanna conscionable spell retired successful the archetypal crippled feeling foreign. We got a large signifier in. It was intense. I'm conscionable excited for Wednesday."

To their credit, the Nets had already been preparing arsenic if he'll play connected Wednesday.

"I conjecture determination is immoderate trickiness to it -- which Zion bash you get?" Nets manager Steve Nash said. "But I deliberation you'd beryllium foolish not to expect an exceptional player. He's truthful talented and gifted. He causes problems for everybody, nary matter, I think, what authorities his assemblage and crippled is in. He's inactive specified a unsocial jock and player. So we got to beryllium prepared. We can't expect thing little than his champion oregon we'll beryllium amazed and we'll beryllium second, and erstwhile you're reactive, you're successful trouble."

ESPN's Andrew Lopez contributed to this report.