What to Know About the Pelicans Newest Acquisition
By Seth Nefsky
Two-Point Scoring
Lemon has shot 53.1% from the field this year in the G-League, four percent better than average among G-League guards. Being that he has shot the most two-pointers in the G-League thus far, this number speaks to Lemon’s ability to navigate to spots he finds most comfortable within the three-point line. Lemon only takes about 16.2% of his shots from the midrange, shooting 41.1 percent from there. He takes the majority of his shots in the restricted area, usually on drives. However, Lemon only has a league average free throw rate. Being that his 60.1% field goal percentage in the restricted area should decrease in the NBA, he should be getting to the line more. But nevertheless, on drives Lemon has proven to be dangerous due to his athleticism, quick crossover and creativity around the rim.
According to the G-League website’s NBA projection system, which is admittedly unclear, Lemon should shoot about 45.3% from two-point range in the NBA, 2.5% below average of guards in the NBA, and fourth among Pelicans guards. Still, being that these are projections and not prophecies this could very well be wrong.