Southwest Notes: Zion, Pelicans, Kidd, Klay, Grizzlies

After I missed that Pelicans' regular season opener on Wednesday, Zion Williamson was cleared to make his season debut Friday at Portland, writes Anne M. Peterson of The Associated Press. Head coach Willie Greenwho said it would be “huge” to get Williamson back, told reporters that the star forward would be placed on a minutes restriction, although he did not name a specific target.

“It won’t be full throttle, but we’ll see how he feels when he’s on the floor.” Green said.

Williamson took Dejounte Murrayis his spot in the Pelicans' starting five after the team's new starting point guard went down with a broken bone in his hand on Wednesday.

As Christian Clark of NOLA.com points out (via Twitter), after months of speculation about what New Orleans' new starting lineup would look like, the Murray injury resulted in the team's starters entering Friday almost identical to last season's group looked Daniel Theis Capture the departed center Jonas Valanciunas's place. With Murray expected to be sidelined until at least late November – and likely into December – it will be a while before Green gets a look at his preferred starting lineup.

Here's more from the Southwest:

• Many people within the outsider Organization believes head coach Jason Kidd is “uniquely suited” to maximize the contributions of Star Guards Luka Doncic And Kyrie Irvingwrites ESPN's Tim MacMahon. In an in-depth report, MacMahon examines how Kidd got the best out of Doncic and Irving and how the Mavs coach will handle the new challenge of hosting future Hall of Famers Klay Thompson this season.
• Dallas Hoops Journal's Grant Afseth (Substack link) takes a closer look at Thompson's early days with the outsiderIt details the steps the veteran sharpshooter took to adjust and acclimate to his new NBA home. “When you’re on such a talented team, you don’t have to be a hero.” Thompson said he has gotten used to his Mavs role. “That’s what attracted me to come here. I think these guys can help me be the best I can be. And have fun. When you play with a smile on your face, basketball is the best.” As we detailed earlier today, Klay scored 22 points in 26 minutes in his Mavs debut.
• The Grizzlies are missing several rotation players due to injuries and will begin their season with six games in nine days, the head coach said Taylor Jenkins plans to rely on its depth to get through this stretch and avoid relying too heavily on any of its starters early on, writes Michael Wallace of Grind City Media. This approach involves the use of reserve players such as rookie Jaylen Wellswho admitted he was surprised to be one of the first players to come off the bench in Wednesday's season opener. “I didn’t expect that” Wells told reporters. “I won't even lie. I think they screamed Scotty (Pippen Jr.). And I thought they just said “Scotty!” And then they said my name a second time. And I definitely didn’t expect that.”