NBA Hall of Famer and Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen has seen enough tape to know that Duke freshman Zion Williamson should be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Pippen is also looking out for Williamson's health, as the six-time NBA champion believes the Duke phenom should sit out the rest of the college basketball season to avoid suffering a serious injury which could affect his draft stock and playing future:
“I think for him as a young player, I would shut it down,” Pippen said on ESPN's The Jump. “I would stop playing because I feel that he could risk a major injury that could really hurt his career.”
Scottie Pippen makes a good point here. We've all seen the explosive dunks Zion Williamson does and how hard he drives to the hoop. Although he is built like a young Superman, Williamson could land awkwardly one of these games and possibly tear something in his knee or ankle.
Injuries are out of athletes' control. They can happen at any moment. Back in 2013, Oklahoma City Thunder center Nerlens Noel was playing at the University of Kentucky and tore his left ACL. Before sustaining the injury, draft experts had projected Noel to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
But because of the ACL injury, Noel was taken with the sixth overall pick and missed his entire rookie season with the Philadelphia 76ers. So, it's definitely something Zion Williamson should think about moving forward. He would get a lot of criticism for sitting out, but at the end of the day, it's his body and career.
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