Zion Williamson is about to be a very rich man, but the superstar Duke freshman suffered a bit of a hiccup on Wednesday night, and now some are wondering if the projected number one pick in this year’s NBA Draft will simply decide to shut it down for the rest of the year.
Zion suffered a mild knee sprain early in the Blue Devils’ 88-72 home loss to archrival North Carolina. The bizarre injury occurred just 30 seconds into the game, when Zion’s Nike shoe broke, something that caught the attention of a former U.S. president. (RELATED: Barack Obama Attends Duke Vs. UNC Game)
It also caught the attention of Atlanta Hawks rookie phenom Trae Young, who called on Zion to sit out the rest of the year in order to protect his value in a series of tweets Wednesday night. (RELATED: Highly-Touted NBA Rookie Puts Up Atrocious Stat Line In Summer League Debut)
Zion Need To Chill Out The Rest Of Season…
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) February 21, 2019
Zion Need To Chill Out The Rest Of Season…
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) February 21, 2019
Young was a one-and-done superstar himself, putting up monster numbers for Oklahoma in his lone college season, while captivating the nation in a way similar to Zion. Young had a similar college experience, so his opinion on this deserves serious consideration.
Trae Young nutmeg on DeAndre Ayton ???? pic.twitter.com/xfvF4qdhqv
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 16, 2019
However, Young never sat out last season, despite carrying a much bigger load than Zion and playing on a team that wasn’t a serious title contender.
Players want to play, and I fully expect to see the number one out there posterizing opponents into late March and early April.