Zion Williamson’s debut a lesson in patience

The New Orleans Pelicans want every bit of Zion Williamson now, but they also understand how to set him and the franchise up for success in the future.

The decision to pull Zion Williamson with 5:23 left in the fourth quarter of his NBA debut was a logical move by coach Alvin Gentry that subsequently put fans in a frustrating bind of emotions.

The No. 1 overall pick in last June’s draft — and the supposed savior of the New Orleans Pelicans franchise — was setting the San Antonio Spurs ablaze with 17 straight points in the final frame, including four 3-pointers.

He’s a 19-year-old kid who was making the Smoothie King Center his own after a lifeless first 36 minutes of action that included nearly as many turnovers (4) as points (5).

Sitting him does not only a disservice to the fans both in the arena and watching on television who had salivated for years for this moment, but also to a team in need of every win — even in mid-January — to keep their playoff hopes from slipping.

Then again, this was the same youngster who had missed more than three months of his rookie season after surgery the day before the season opener to repair a torn meniscus.

It was a call surprisingly not made by Gentry but instead from the medical staff, according to The Athletic’s William Guillory (subscription required), who had come to understand Zion’s unique body better than most since he was drafted.

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There is no precedent for how the Pelicans are choosing to handle their prized top pick because nobody in league history has faced the same circumstances as Williamson.

What other NBA player has rivaled the physical stature of Zion at 6’6” and 284 pounds with a vertical leap bordering on mythical? How many athletes across any sport have been tasked with restructuring the simplest of physical movements?

If there are previous examples, they can be accounted for with one hand, affording the organization an absence of expectations to follow the footsteps that came before them but also the pressure to create an effective plan of their own.

For as good as New Orleans has looked in recent weeks and the potential they have with one of the league’s softest remaining schedules, a 2020 playoff berth isn’t the endgame, not with this talented a young core that includes three top-two picks.

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Its sights are set on a championship. However realistic that pursuit is, it becomes significantly less likely without the full-on efforts of a player with as high a ceiling as Zion.

To best serve that goal requires an extremely detailed plan of conservation, load management if you will, for Zion Williamson as he eases his way into the all-encompassing life of an NBA player, even if he’s deemed healthy enough to play.

Above everything else for the Pelicans, whether its the sacrifice of individual numbers or even a few wins throughout the season, that means being as delicate as possible when they can be so they can extend a longer leash down the line when they need to.