Zion wanted to 'punch a wall' during frustrating rehab

After a rigorous rehab process, Zion Williamson is finally set to make his NBA debut Wednesday against the visiting San Antonio Spurs.

The New Orleans Pelicans phenom admitted Tuesday that his long road to recovery from the torn right meniscus he suffered in October took a toll.

"There's a lot of times when I wanted to punch a wall or kick chairs because it's frustrating," Williamson said Tuesday, according to ESPN's Andrew Lopez.

"To not be able to move your body the way you want to, not to make any athletic movements ... It was tough but I battled through it."

Part of Williamson's recovery from the injury, which he suffered in the Pelicans' second-last preseason game (coincidentally against the Spurs), involved learning to walk and run differently to work on "the kinetic chain of his body," as Lopez put it in December.

Williamson also said Tuesday that part of his rehab involved learning to land differently.

Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry acknowledged earlier in January that 2019's No. 1 pick would play "very limited minutes" whenever his NBA debut arrived.

Williamson is expected to be in Wednesday's starting lineup, Lopez reported.

New Orleans will enter the tilt 3 1/2 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the Western Conference's last playoff spot.