Can Zakai Zeigler keep playing 35 minutes per game? Right now, Rick Barnes doesn't have a choice

It’s been next to impossible for Rick Barnes to take Zakai Zeigler off the floor of late. His career-high 26 points in 37 minutes at Mississippi State on Wednesday was the latest example, continuing the red-hot run the junior point guard has been on the last month.

He had 17 points and 10 assists in the win over Ole Miss on Saturday, playing 37 minutes. He had 20 points, eight assists and four steals in 39 minutes against North Carolina State on December 16. 

He had 13 against Tarleton State in 35 minutes on December 21 and 17 against Norfolk State in a relatively brief 27 minutes on January 2.

He’s averaging 27.1 minutes per game, fourth most in Tennessee’s rotation, but had limited minutes through the first six games after returning from the torn ACL that ended his sophomore season on February 28.

Zakai Zeigler’s last five games: 18.6 points, 6.8 assists, 2.6 steals, 2.4 rebounds, 35.0 minutes

Ten months out of ACL surgery, Zeigler is averaging 35.0 minutes per game over his last five. Barnes said on Friday that kind of usage isn’t always in the plan, but it’s the way the games have gone in recent weeks.

“You feel like you want to put the ball inside,” Barnes said before practice at Thompson-Boling Arena, “but you put it there, then guys are getting stripped. You’re not getting that, so now you have to go a different way. Zakai was really the only guy the other night creating foul situations, picking up fouls. 

“If there’s anybody that can play a lot of minutes and withstand it, it’s him. But there is a line there that we’d like to keep him under. But I talk about it game-to-game, you got to try to win that game and we have to do what we have to do.”

Barnes didn’t have much of a choice on Wednesday. Tennessee’s other guards didn’t provide much help for Zeigler in Starkville.

Santiago Vescovi scored two points on 1-for-4 shooting, going 0-for-3 from the foul line. He had four assists but played just 22 minutes after picking up two early fouls in the first half. Jordan Gainey was scoreless after going 0-for-5 from the field, with four misses at the 3-point line. He played just nine minutes. 

“I’ve seen shooters go through it,” Barnes said of Gainey, “and (he’s) probably trying too hard and we want him to shoot it when he’s open. But he doesn’t have to force anything. He doesn’t have to do that because he can do other things. But that part he’ll snap out of that. It’s just a matter of when.”

Freddie Dilione V played four minutes, all in the first half, after not seeing the court at all in the 90-64 win over Ole Miss on Saturday.

Barnes had positive reviews for Dilione on Friday, complimenting his defense and, most importantly, his prep in the days leading up to the Mississippi State game.

“I thought he was really locked in,” Barnes said, “asking questions from coaches about not just what they do, but also wanting to know, to make sure he knew what we were trying to get done. And that’s obviously a great sign. And again, I hope he can continue to build on it.”

Dilione is averaging just 7.3 minutes per game, appearing in only seven games so far after dealing with a foot injury that sidelined him for four games in November.

His next step is consistency. What he did before and during the Mississippi State game is what he needs to keep doing over and over and over. 

“That’s what it is,” Barnes said, “being consistent. And with every player, it’s all about trust, earning trust and knowing what, when you put someone out there, you really have a pretty good idea of what you’re going to get.”

Up Next: No. 5 Tennessee at Georgia, Saturday, Noon ET, ESPN2

Until Barnes knows what he’s going to get from Vescovi, Gainey and Dilione, the heavy minutes load will continue for Zeigler.

“Obviously we know what we’re getting from him,” Barnes said of Zeigler. “It’s what can we get from the other guys? The older guys, we’ve got to know that. And then you can give these younger guys— you can’t put a younger guy in a game in a situation where, like, what we’ve tried to do this year is get those guys out there with an older group of guys.

“If they’re not playing well, it’s hard to get them in a game because it really puts a lot of pressure on them. If they could have a couple bad moments that could affect them for a long time.”