This fall, New Orleans teammates saw the impact Zion Williamson can make in a number of areas, including generating the kind of excitement few players bring to an arena – even during a preseason game. Although he’s not ready to fully participate in Pelicans practices or shootarounds yet, on Tuesday morning Williamson’s presence brought a renewed vigor to the proceedings at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. The NBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick was cleared to shoot standstill jumpers, an encouraging sign as he works to get back in uniform following October knee surgery.

“Teammates, the way they responded to him, the joy he has when he’s on the floor, is evident,” Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin said during an in-game interview with Fox Sports New Orleans. “And we’ve obviously needed that.”

Asked by Jennifer Hale about the 19-year-old’s progress physically, Griffin responded, “We’re really excited with where he’s at. He’s made really good progress. I know we’ve reached that eight-week point (in his timetable to return to play) and everyone is ready to see him. I think we’re a little ways away yet, but today was a really big first step. It’s an important time for him because he’s fully weight-bearing.”