In the wake of Zion Williamson's mild knee sprain that has forced him to sit the last two games for Duke, everyone has pushed their take to the table on whether he should try and return, potentially risking injury, or sit out and instead prepare for becoming the presumptive No. 1 pick in this summer's NBA Draft.
Some have used the unfortunate development as a referendum on amateur athletics, citing his injury as reason that student-athletes should get paid -- a discussion for another day -- but Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who once went straight from preps to pros, sees things differently.
"In terms of Zion, if he's healthy, he should go play," Bryant told The Undefeated's Marc Spears. "He made a decision to go to college and injuries are a part of that process and sometimes you get hurt, sometimes you don't, man.
"But you made the decision to go to college and you made your commitment to the university, then by all means finish your commitment. I expect him to get healthy, get his knee better or whatever it was and come out and kick a--."
Williamson has indicated he intends to return, health willing, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said recently the program has had no discussions about shutting him down. That seems to fall in line with what Williamson has maintained all along in that, if healthy, he wants to play because he came to college to try and win it all with the Blue Devils.
"If he didn't want to risk it, he wouldn't have come to Duke," fellow freshman RJ Barrett said last weekend of Williamson via the New York Post. "He's a basketball player. He loves the games. He loves Duke and he loves playing with his brothers."
Williamson is the No. 1 player in CBS Sports' Big Board for the 2019 NBA Draft and projected to go No. 1 in our latest NBA mock draft. He's averaging 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game for Duke, which held the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll's last week before he went down with an injury.
