Zion Williamson took the college basketball world by storm during his first few months at Duke, and it’s left Scottie Pippen wondering what else the high-flying forward has to accomplish at that level.
Rather than do anything to risk his status as the expected No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Pippen said during an appearance on ESPN’s “The Jump” that Williamson should “shut it down” for the rest of his freshman season.
“I think he’s done enough for college basketball, that it’s more about him personally now,” Pippen said. “I think for him as a young player, I would shut it down. I would stop playing, because I feel that he could risk a major injury that could really hurt his career.”
Williamson, 18, looks to be one of the most unique prospects to enter the NBA Draft in years. He’s been a dominant scorer in his first year at Duke by averaging 21.1 points on 66.2 percent shooting while grabbing 9.4 rebounds per game. Teamed up with fellow freshman R.J. Barrett, another likely top-10 pick in this year’s draft, the Blue Devils have won 14 of their first 16 games to open the season.
Pippen, who played in college at Central Arkansas, got picked by the Sonics with the fifth pick in the 1987 NBA Draft before being traded to the Bulls, so he’s familiar with the process. Pippen went on to become a seven-time All-Star and six-time champion in the 1990s.
