NBA Christmas Day viewership has flatlined. With the past six seeing average ratings no higher than 3.0 — a mark the five-game slate surpassed six times from 2001 to 2012 — only former Duke basketball one-and-done Zion Williamson could provide enough juice for a spike this year.
But the 2019 NBA Draft's No. 1 overall pick is still recovering from an Oct. 21 surgery to repair his right lateral meniscus. And the team's initial timetable for Williamson's return/debut (six to eight weeks) expired Monday.
"It's not anything we're going to rush," New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry said on Friday, per NOLA.