New Orleans Pelicans Player Grades: Pelicans Choke Again
By Nathan Heck
The New Orleans Pelicans end their road trip going 0-3 after falling to New York in a matinee game at Madison Square Garden. In what has become a reoccurring theme as of late, the Pelicans fell off dramatically in the second half and lost to the New York Knicks 95-87. With this loss, the Pelicans have picked up just one win in their first ten, and the pessimism among the fans is becoming palpable. All of the optimism surrounding the team before the season started has eroded, and the Pelicans will need to string together some wins at home to bring the fans back from the ledge.
69. Final. 95. 27. 87
D+. <a href=. PG. New Orleans Pelicans. JRUE HOLIDAY
C-. <a href=. SG. New Orleans Pelicans. ERIC GORDON
New Orleans Pelicans. ALONZO GEE. C. <a href=. SF
His stat line is gaudy, as usual. Despite finishing with 36 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, though, it’s hard to feel like he couldn’t have played better. Davis turned the ball over a whopping four times and had multiple mental lapses on the defensive end. However, Davis did more than enough for the Pelicans to get the win, and he needs his teammates to step up.. PF/C. New Orleans Pelicans. ANTHONY DAVIS. B+
OMER ASIK. C. <a href=. C. New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans Pelicans. RYAN ANDERSON. B-. <a href=. PF/SF
C+. Cunningham played well in his time off the bench today by scoring six on three of three shooting and grabbing five rebounds. The Pelicans would like more scoring output from Cunningham, but his efficiency was nice. Couple the quality of his looks with the five rebounds, and he played a fairly productive game.. SF/PF. New Orleans Pelicans. DANTE CUNNINGHAM
F. In just seven minutes of play, Ajinca managed to turn the ball over three times and only managed to grab one rebound. Two of his turnovers came from off-ball offensive fouls. The Pelicans clearly expected more from Ajinca this offseason when they signed him to a long-term deal, and he has been a complete disappointment so far. Hopefully, a trade of some sort can be made, because Ajinca is definitely not a fit in New Orleans.. C. New Orleans Pelicans. ALEXIS AJINCA
C. <a href=. SF. New Orleans Pelicans. LUKE BABBITT
D+. <a href=. PG. New Orleans Pelicans. ISH SMITH
D. <a href=. PG. New Orleans Pelicans. TONEY DOUGLAS
Other Thoughts:
- Omer Asik should have played far more, and he really could have helped the Pelicans lock down the paint down the stretch.
- On the flip side, Ajinca probably shouldn’t have played at all. He was downright awful, and the decision to let him start the fourth quarter after his previous horrendous stretch was puzzling to say the least.
- More than a few people will knock Davis after this game, but he did more than enough to help the team win.
- It’d be a lot nicer for Anderson to focus on making the shot over looking for the foul.