March Madness 2019: 5 reasons Duke won’t win the national title

No. 3: Knee injuries for large humans sometimes come back

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

That’s what Zion Williamson had to say to the amateurism haters who proclaimed he should never again set foot on a college basketball court — those who used his case study as another argument against the very existence of the NCAA.

He’s back now, ready to set out on a quest to cut down the nets in early April. After spraining his right knee on Feb. 20 against North Carolina, there was a short-term question of whether Williamson would be healthy enough to return this year. Then, the bigger question of if it was worth it.

Williamson answered both questions during the conference tournament, putting together perhaps his strongest stretch of individual play and leading Duke to the ACC title. The extra wait time between his injury in late February and his return on March 14 will likely lower the risk of reinjury but one can never be certain.

We never thought we would see a player bust open his shoe, yet the size and athleticism Williamson brings to the court change the calculus. Every open court dunk or high-flying block will bring gasps. Rightly so. Another Williamson injury could spell doom for the Blue Devils considering the fantastic competition in this year’s bracket.