Should Zion Williamson shut it down after knee injury?

Zion Williamson suffered a knee injury that has many wondering if the Duke phenom should shut it down and prepare for the NBA Draft.

It only took 36 seconds into the North Carolina game for the Duke career of Zion Williamson to flash before the eyes of college basketball fans. Williamson exploded out of his shoe and left the game with a knee injury that Mike Krzyzewski termed a mild knee sprain. But the mild knee sprain could have major implications on the college basketball season and Williamson’s college career.

Williamson is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and after the injury, many are suggesting he sit out the rest of the season, even if he’s healthy enough to play, and avoid the risk of playing at Duke. Duke did take out an insurance policy that pays Williamson $8 million should he fall below the No. 16 pick in the draft.

The big question the day after Williamson’s injury is whether he should shut it down or keep playing and try to win a national championship at Duke. There’s an argument to be made for both sides.

The case for Zion Williamson to shut it down

The primary reason why Williamson should shut it down at Duke is the money. Even when it’s not about the money, it’s about the money. Williamson stands to be the No. 1 pick in the draft barring a catastrophic injury and cash in with a likely nine-figure shoe deal with the brand of his choosing. If Williamson returns from this injury and risks another knee injury, he is jeopardizing a nine-figure shoe deal.

College football players have recently put their futures in their own hand by sitting out bowl games like Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey did two years ago when their NFL Draft stock was secured. That continued into this past season with Nick Bosa withdrawing from school after an injury required surgery early in the season. Ed Oliver sat much of the season to protect his draft stock. It’s a growing trend that will see more and more players do the same.

That same line of thought could creep into college basketball with Williamson being the face of the movement to look out for their best interest, rather than the best interest of the NCAA.

Atlanta Hawks rookie guard Trae Young is in favor of Williamson cleaning out his locker and shutting it down.

He wasn’t alone from the NBA who knows the only one to gain by Williamson playing for Duke is Duke and the NCAA.

Donovan Mitchell was quick to point out how completely wrong and unfair the system is and that it needs to be changed.

Players can’t go to the NBA Draft out of high school so they either have to play for free at a college of their choice for one year, which makes a total sham out of the “student-athlete” since they don’t even have to go to class in the spring semester. Or if that’s too much of a risk, or they need the financial reward immediately to support their family, they have the option of playing overseas.

Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Luke Doncic replied as such to Mitchell’s tweet that playing in Europe like he did as a youth and was compensated as such could be an option for players moving forward unless the NBA changes their draft rules. It’s a legit question why Williamson was ever even at Duke when he could have been in the NBA this year.

The case for Zion Williamson to keep playing at Duke

It’s simple. Players play. Williamson is a basketball player and he loves the game, so he should continue to play the game he loves. By all accounts, Williamson is a great teammate and his coaches respect and love his work ethic and his tenacious commitment to the game.

If he is healthy and he makes the decision he doesn’t want to commit to the rest of the season, his coaches and teammates would totally understand his perspective and support him. However, there will surely be a few NBA scouts and personnel people who will question how much he loves the game vs. how much he loves the NBA money. It’s a question that was asked of Fournette, McCaffrey and others who sat out college football games.

Williamson may have chosen to go directly to the NBA like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett before him, but he didn’t have that choice and he went to Duke. He went to Duke for a reason, and that’s to win a championship.

There’s a reason he, R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish and Tre Jones all decided to play together at Duke. They wanted to win the ACC, go to the Final Four and cut down the nets after winning the NCAA Tournament.

If Williamson shuts it down, he wouldn’t play in another Duke-UNC rivalry game, he’d miss out on the competition of the ACC conference tournament and the experience of March Madness. You just can’t replace that in the NBA, no matter how much money is in your bank account.

Even if Williamson decided to shut it down and not suit up for Duke, do you think he wouldn’t pick up a basketball between now and the start of summer league? There’s no chance. He’s a basketball player and they play basketball even when they’re not playing games. The chance of hurting himself in a one-on-one drill at the gym or suffering a non-contact injury just as he did when his shoe exploded exists whether he’s playing a game for Duke on national TV or he’s playing in a gym, prepping for the draft.

What should Zion Williamson do?

Everyone has an opinion on what he should do, including former and current NBA players, but only he can decide what to do after the diagnosis of his knee injury is revealed. Whether he plays for Duke or sits out to protect himself, I can’t fault him for doing what’s best for him. It’s not my life and while I would be disappointed, it’s only selfish of me, because I couldn’t watch him any longer on the college basketball level, I would totally understand why he made the decision.

If Williamson asked me for my advice on what he should do, I’d tell him to listen to his doctors and if they say the knee will be good with a little rest and it won’t be susceptible to further damage by playing on it, then I’d tell him to sit, get healthy, and return and dominate the NCAA Tournament.

If doctors tell him he needs to sit for a month before he’s 100 percent, then I tell him to be the best teammate he can be and cheer his teammates on from the bench and not rush his recovery and return and jeopardize the health of his knee.

My hope is the knee injury is as minor as Coach K believes it is and that college basketball will get a healthy Williamson in time for March Madness.