Carmen MandatoI recognize, on the one hand, that it's far too early to be writing this article about 19-year-old basketball god Zion Williamson, Pelicans rookie and former Duke wunderkind. And yet, here is the sum total of our fan experience with him so far:
1.) He comes to Duke with plenty of hype, and exceeds it by literal leaps and bounds, electrifying not just a school, but a whole country. Then, in the most anticipated game of the year against North Carolina, which Zion's presence makes such a hot ticket that even Obama attends, he famously hurts his right knee when his foot actually bursts through his Nike shoe. It kept him out almost a month, accelerated and amplified criticism of the NCAA, and arguably cost Duke a chance at the title by interrupting the team's rhythm.
2.) He gets picked first in the NBA draft by the Pelicans, but nine minutes into his first summer league game, he hurt his left knee and gets benched for the rest of the summer.
3.) When he returns ..
