Zion Williamson isn’t going to be sidelined for long. The Duke star and presumptive No. 1 NBA draft pick this June is considered day-to-day with a Grade 1 knee sprain suffered yesterday, the school announced Thursday. It eliminates the worst-case scenarios that so many were fretting after Williamson’s shoe blew out, resulting in the injury just seconds into the No.1 Blue Devils’ eventual loss to rival North Carolina on Wednesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. NEWS: Zion Williamson was diagnosed with a Grade 1 right knee sprain. He is progressing as expected, and his status is day-to-day. pic.twitter.com/H8YUZGnOyc — Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 21, 2019 College basketball, it would seem, will not be robbed from seeing its most electrifying star in more than a decade. “There hasn’t been anyone close to having the attention, and well-deserved attention, as a player than Zion [Williamson]. He’s been absolutely dynamic, mesmerizing,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said on ESPNU Radio on Sirius XM. “Everyone wants to see him play and not just because of the numbers he puts up, but the enthusiasm and just the personality that he’s showing, and how he’s handled all of this. And for him to go down 34 seconds into this amazing game, there was like a – it changed the whole mood of the whole place, you know, because, I mean we’re going to have a tough time beating North Carolina no matter what because they’re really good. And they were good against us. “I think that everyone wants to know his status and it’s still – we don’t have a timetable, but the preliminary reports that we have on Zion’s injury are all optimistic – very, very good. And the fact that it’s a stable condition, a mild sprain, and we’re going to do what everyone would do, and that’s what’s in the best interest of the young man. And Zion will get proper care. He’s getting it today, as this moves along these next 24, 48 hours, we’ll have a better feel for things, but there’s no rush. You want to make sure he’s completely at 100 percent. We know we’re an NCAA [Tournament] team. We’ve won 23 games with great competition, and we’re going to keep moving on, but we want to be – want to make sure we’re at 100 percent when we enter that one-and-done period called March Madness.” Story continues Coach K gives an update on @ZionW32 after the @DukeMBB star left Wednesday night's game with a knee injury. For more, listen to Basketball & Beyond on Ch. 84 and On Demand anytime. pic.twitter.com/5fKkeuqy4a — College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) February 21, 2019 It likely won’t quiet the debate, however, about whether or not Williamson should suit up for Duke again, his health not withstanding. Given the fortune he stands to make in the NBA and the literal $0 Duke is paying him, it’s revitalized the discussion about what top-tier players should do – play or sit – if there is an injury concern. Ultimately, Williamson’s shoe could have exploded, he could have stepped on someone’s foot or he could have taken off wrong on a dunk if he was practicing alone at the YMCA or under the bright lights of the game’s greatest rivalry. There’s only so much anyone can control, and if Williamson doesn’t think the risk of playing is overwhelming, there doesn’t seem much incentive to sit out the rest of the season. In reality, what type of injury could even derail him being the No. 1 overall pick come June, anyway? That list seems exceedingly small. Given Duke’s announcement, though, it looks as though Williamson will be back in uniform before too long, making Duke the most entertaining team in the country when it matters most.<doc-sep>Gerry Broome/Associated Press Duke superstar freshman Zion Williamson suffered a Grade 1 knee sprain against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Wednesday and is day-to-day, Duke announced Thursday. Williamson tried to pivot early in the first half, and his shoe burst. He slipped in the process and injured his right knee: When healthy, Williamson is arguably college basketball's top player. He is averaging 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in what is his first and almost certainly last collegiate campaign. The phenom has been even better than advertised as a result of his efficiency on the offensive end and his ability to impact the game defensively with his rebounding and knack for coming up with big steals. While the Blue Devils have a few other young stars, Williamson is the key to their success. After Zion got hurt in the UNC game, Duke looked directionless and lost by 16 on its home court. Duke is dominant when fully healthy, but it has a significant depth problem and relies on a handful of players to do almost all of the scoring. Williamson is part of that group along with RJ Barrett (23.1 ppg) and Cam Reddish (14.3 ppg). Head coach Mike Krzyzewski primarily looks to the rest of his roster to distribute the ball, rebound and do the little things needed to win. Provided Williamson sits out, the scoring burden will fall almost entirely on Barrett and Reddish. Video Play Button Videos you might like Also, point guard Tre Jones may be looked upon to be more aggressive from a scoring perspective, as will center Marques Bolden and reserve forwards Jack White and Javin DeLaurier. Duke is a supremely talented team with or without Williamson, but it is difficult to envision the Blue Devils contending for a national title if Zion isn't in the fold.<doc-sep>Duke star freshman Zion Williamson is listed as "day-to-day" while he recovers from a Grade 1 knee sprain, the school announced on Thursday. Less than a minute into the Blue Devils' 88-72 loss to North Carolina on Wednesday, Williamson suffered the right knee sprain on a bizarre play that saw the 6-7 forward's shoe blow apart when he planted his foot. He immediately clutched at his legs upon going down, and shortly after went to the locker room. Duke then announced that he was shut down for the rest of the game and afterwards coach Mike Krzyzewski told the media that the injury was a "mild sprain" and that Williamson's knee was "stable." The major concern for Duke was that Williamson, the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, would shut it down the rest of the season as the health scare illuminated the concern for elite pro prospects risking their future by playing at the NCAA level. BRACKETOLOGY:What Willimson's injury means for Duke BUBBLE TRACKER:How one mid-major league could get three bids The Blue Devils (23-3, 11-2) currently hold the top overall No. 1 seed in the projected NCAA tournament field but the selection committee would've examined a Zion-less Duke team when assigning seeds on Selection Sunday, possibly pushing the Blue Devils to the No. 2 or No. 3 line. If Williamson is back to full strength by Selection Sunday, the selection committee will provide leeway for any outcomes that occur with the national player of the year candidate out of the lineup. The team has five regular-season contests before the ACC tournament tips off. Duke, North Carolina and Virginia are in a three-way tie for first place in the ACC title race. The Blue Devils face a Syracuse team they lost to earlier this season at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday. Duke is 1-1 without Williamson since he missed almost all of the team's last-second win over Florida State earlier this season.<doc-sep>Duke star freshman Zion Williamson is being evaluated on a day-to-day basis and has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 right knee sprain, the school announced Thursday evening. That means Williamson's status for Duke's road game Saturday night at Syracuse is undetermined. Williamson left 34 seconds into No. 1 Duke's 88-72 home loss to No. 8 North Carolina on Wednesday night, hurting his knee as a result of blowing through his shoe while making a pivot move. Williamson, the established favorite for National Player of the Year, is averaging 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks. His 68.3 field goal percentage is second-best in the country to Gonzaga's Brandon Clarke (68.8). Williamson has also been the wire-to-wire leader in CBS Sports' Freshman of the Year rankings as well. Duke is 23-3 and tied atop the ACC standings with Virginia and North Carolina; all three teams are 11-2 entering the weekend. The Blue Devils still comfortably sit as a No. 1 seed in Jerry Palm's latest bracketology forecast.<doc-sep>
Hold off on the hysteria. The professional career of Zion Williamson, the freakish phenom from Duke, is not in jeopardy. His injury is a minor one. The 6-foot-7, 285-pound forward, the projected top pick in June’s NBA draft, suffered just a Grade 1 right knee sprain in Wednesday’s loss to eighth-ranked North Carolina, the school announced Thursday. Williamson is “progressing as expected,” Duke said in a release, and he is day-to-day. His status for Saturday’s game at Syracuse is uncertain. He has led Duke (23-3) to a No. 1 ranking, averaging 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals while shooting 68 percent from the field. “I think that everyone wants to know his status, and it’s still — we don’t have a timetable, but the preliminary reports that we have on Zion’s injury are all optimistic — very, very good,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said on his weekly show on ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM. “And the fact that it’s a stable condition, a mild sprain, and we’re going to do what everyone would do, and that’s what’s in the best interest of the young man. And Zion will get proper care. He’s getting it today, as this moves along these next 24, 48 hours, we’ll have a better feel for things, but there’s no rush. You want to make sure he’s completely at 100 percent.” Thirty-six seconds into the loss to North Carolina, Williamson went down, grabbing his right knee when his left sneaker fell apart after he planted near the free-throw line. The sole of the shoe ripped apart from the shoe from the heels to his toes on the outside edge and his foot coming through the large gap. He walked off under his own power with a slight limp, never to return. The injury kicked off a nationwide debate about the much-discussed one-and-done rule and whether Williamson should even play again for Duke and risk his bountiful professional future. As it turned out, it’s only a minor injury.