Zion Williamson’s Injury: Will He Play in ACC & NCAA Tournaments?

Zion Williamson’s eventual return to Duke from a knee injury is still filled with question marks. Williamson was ruled out for the remainder of Duke’s regular season, but he is expected to play at some point in the ACC tournament.

“He had his first really good workout yesterday, but not contact, and looked really good,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski told the News & Observer prior to the Duke-North Carolina game. “I haven’t seen him today, we’ll see how he is. He’ll have no contact again today. So I would say he’s doubtful for tomorrow, but we’ll put it out tomorrow…The way it’s going, he’s not going to be doubtful for the tournament.”

The situation is a bit peculiar given Williamson was initially listed as day-to-day, but he has now missed multiple weeks as he recovers from a knee injury. Despite Krzyzewski’s assertion that Williamson will play in the ACC tournament, some have speculated Williamson has played his last game at Duke. Krzyzewski has been the lone person discussing Williamson’s injury as the big man has not met with the media since his injury.

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Duke’s 1st ACC Tournament Game Will Be Thursday, March 13th

The soonest Williamson would take the court in the ACC tournament is Thursday, March 13th for Duke’s first game. Despite implying that Williamson will play in the tournament, it has not been specified whether he will play in Duke’s initial contest or simply if Duke advances to the later rounds.

If Williamson plays in the ACC tournament, it is safe to assume he plans to play in the NCAA tournament. Duke could still opt to hold Williamson out during the tournament, which would also put his status in doubt for March Madness. While Krzyzewski sounds optimistic on Williamson’s status for both tournaments, nothing is a given until Williamson steps onto the floor. All indications are Williamson want to continue playing college basketball as soon as he is cleared.

Williamson just began on-court activities this week, but it does not appear that he has taken any contact.

“Yesterday was a big day for him, though, because he didn’t think before he moved,” Krzyzewski explained to the News & Observer. “All of the sudden you say, `Oh yeah. I remember my body can do that.’ For the guys too it was uplifting. But still we have to make sure, man.”

Duke has previously denied that Williamson wants to shut things down and prepare for the NBA draft.

“We would never play a kid who’s not ready,” Krzyzewski told ESPN on February 24th. “We would never play a youngster who didn’t want to play. It’s not about that. He wants to play. He loves being at Duke. He doesn’t like being injured. It’s an injury you can get over in a shorter period of time. There’s just a protocol that we have to go through to make sure he’s completely ready. We’re not rushing anything, so that’s why we said day-to-day because it’s literally day-to-day.”

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