By Drew Banks

Zion Williamson last played basketball on February 20. Since then, Duke has gone 3-2. They really should be 3-3, but Wake Forest missed a bunny with less than a second left on the clock last night to give Duke a one-point victory. It has become clear that Duke is a different team without the young phenom. A good team, but a flawed one no doubt. Duke will need Williamson if they have plans on reaching the Final 4 and taking home a national championship. But the question that is getting louder as the weeks pass by is does Zion Williamson need Duke?

NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen is on record saying he thinks Williamson should sit out the rest of the college season and that he has “done enough” to solidy his draft position. That was before he desimated his PG 2.5’s on national television in front of Mr. Number 44 himself. That’s Barack Obama to those of you who don’t know, which is probably everyone since nobody actually calls him that. It would be hard to refute Scottie’s logic since he was averaging 21.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game before the injury.

Williamson has become the NCAA’s main attraction in short time. According to SI.com, the steepest ticket for the Duke vs North Carolina matchup last year was $5,400. This year the steepest ticket sold on Vivid Seats was $10,652. Safe to say it ain’t because Durahm, North Carolina is a prime vacation spot. Williamson is something Stephen A. Smith would call “box office”. Before he even got to college, his following on YouTube was legendary. You know on “It Was a Good Day” when Ice Cube fucked around and got a triple double? And he was “freakin n***** every way like MJ”? That was Zion in high school. He was simply a man among boys. He is still a man among boys in college at 6-foot-7, 280 lbs. At the time of the injury he was the unanimous number one pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

That means he will become a millionaire in less than four months. It does not take a math major to realize that Williamson could stand to lose out on millions if he returns this season and re-injures his knee. Luckily for him, his injury is not serious and will not require surgery according to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. That being said he is not yet a professional, meaning he is playing basketball for free. If anyone has watched Duke with Williamson in the lineup you know it’s more like a Barnun and Bailey show than a basketball game. Other than signing his letter of intent for Duke University, he has zero obligation to continue entertaining free of charge.

I just became a father on February 12 this year. If Zion was my kid, I would obviously want what is best for my him. I would not advise him to play if he wasn’t fully healthy. If he’s 98% healthy I still wouldn’t want him to return. However If his knee checks out and he feels like his old self, I would not want to be the person to tell him not to return. I would ultimately let him make his own decision. Could he risk re-injury? Yes. Could he also sustain another injury unrelated to his sprained knee? Yes.

Let’s say he doesn’t play for the rest of season to prepare for the NBA draft. What’s he going to do? Sit in his room, eat pizza, and watch movies all day? Unless he’s trying to be the next Glen Davis that would not be a wise choice. My guess is he’s probably going to work out and train for the NBA. He could injure himself in a workout just as easily as he did in a game. He could pull a hamstring or break an ankle or something worse. You can injure yourself doing anything.

People forget that the NBA is not the NFL. In the NFL, you get drafted for what you can do right now. Your value is tied to your ability to help your team right away. In the NBA, it’s all about potential. Do you really think some GM is going to skip out on drafting Williamson who has the potential to be a franchise player in the NBA? He was born to be a star in the NBA and his injury won’t change that. Why not come back this season and prove that your knee is 100 percent so that you can further solidify your greatness? If he comes back and leads Duke to a deep run in the tournament or a national championship what do you think happens to his draft stock then? If he sits the rest of the year, NBA executives could see that as a red flag and he could slip a few spots in the draft.

While I hate what the NCAA stands for, Zion Williamson should absolutely come back IF he’s 100 percent healthy. He will arguably receive better coaching at Duke than the lottery team that drafts him in June. Williamson should not be giving out high-fives on the bench. He is a competitor. One of the best athletes in the world. I cannot see a scenario where he does not return if he’s 100 percent ready to go. No matter how good he has been this season, the only way to solidify his place among the best players in the nation is to play.