Dan Patrick Is Right: Play Zion Williamson or Send Him Home

We mentioned last week that the Pelicans' handling of Zion Williamson on a minutes restriction and not playing him in crunch time of the NBA's restart against the Jazz was an indication that making the playoffs is not the franchise's biggest priority. This morning, after the Pelicans got blown out by the Clippers, Dan Patrick had a segment about how playing him in these games is basically just a waste of time:

"If you want to have him with the team that's great but if you're not gonna play him then just send him home," Patrick said. "He just doesn't look like he is in shape. He is explosive but he doesn't look comfortable out there ... Either play him or don't have him there."

The NBA basically engineered their whole regular season return so that the Pelicans would have a shot at making the playoffs, but Williamson's body clearly isn't up to it. Between missing games to start the season due to knee surgery and then having to leave the bubble for a family emergency, he doesn't look like he is in game shape.

While there could be an argument to be made that it's beneficial for him to get NBA reps, even if it's just for 15 minutes a game, the risk doesn't seem to be worth the reward here.