March Madness kicks off next week, but there’s a chance we might not see one of college basketball’s most exciting players in the Big Dance.
The remainder of Zion Williamson’s freshman season remains very much unclear. The Duke Blue Devils star sustained a Grade 1 knee sprain Feb. 20 and hasn’t seen game action since, and many have suggested he sit out the remainder of the campaign to avoid doing potential harm to his NBA draft stock.
Williamson, of course, should play it safe if he’s not 100 percent by the time the tournament rolls around. But if you ask one recent Duke product, the 18-year-old should take the floor if he has a clean bill of health.
While Jayson Tatum can provide valuable insight, Kyrie Irving probably is able to even more so. Irving sustained a toe injury in the ninth game of his freshman campaign at Duke which forced the star point guard to miss the remainder of the regular season. Irving ultimately returned for the NCAA Tournament, though, and he helped guide the Blue Devils to the Sweet 16. Three months later, Irving was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft.
There’s certainly some risk that comes with Williamson returning to the court, but it sure would be exciting to see him put on a show on college basketball’s biggest stage.
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