Mike Krzyzewski: "He never should've played just because he's been on this circuit of awards with the ESPYs and everything. I don't think he's in the playing shape or the mental shape to play."
Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski told Adam Zagoria of Forbes that New Orleans Pelicans phenom rookie Zion Williamson should never have played in the NBA Summer League as the former Duke All-American saw his brief NBA career halted after one single half of basketball.
Zion suffered a bruised knee during his first ever NBA appearance at last week’s Summer League opener versus the New York Knicks, and has been shut down for the remainder of the tournament.
Pelicans executive David Griffin made the announcement:
"Zion will move forward from this issue without incident. However, in an abundance of caution, we have made the determination that he will not appear in game action for the remainder of the NBA Summer League. He will continue to take part in training and conditioning with our performance team."
The 19-year-old scored 10 points on 4/9 shooting but amazed the crowd with a handful of thunderous dunks, including one at the expense of Knicks forward Kevin Knox, that saw Zion wrestle the ball away from him and nearly tear down the basket as a humiliated Knox lay on the ground below.
Zion’s billed weight of 285-pounds has been a terrifying potential saboteur for a 19-year-old athlete with one of the most explosive bodies in sports history that sometimes has acted as its own detriment.