New Orleans Pelicans: Time to get serious about Cheick Diallo’s PT

The New Orleans Pelicans Cheick Diallo has gotten solid minutes in four straight games that have all been wins. This isn’t a coincidence, and it’s time to get serious about giving the young talent steady playing time.

Heading into Sunday, the New Orleans Pelicans were in trouble. They had fallen to eighth place in the Western Conference and were right on the verge of falling out of a playoff spot.

They were facing off with the Boston Celtics Sunday in the second-half of a back-to-back. Tuesday would then started the only back-to-back-to-back in the NBA this season. New Orleans would get one day off, and be given the task of the NBA-best Houston Rockets.

So far, the Pelicans have played the first four of those five games. They’ve won all four. In those games, Cheick Diallo has played 24, 24, 20, and 19 minutes respectively. This isn’t a coincidence.

Diallo has been given sporadic minutes all year. At the moment, he’s average 10.6 minutes per game, and that’s with these last four outings. That’s changed recently due to the Pelicans scheduling though. They needed to keep everyone fresh, and this led to more minutes for more players. No one has flourished more than Diallo.

During this four-game stretch, he hasn’t had a negative +/- in any game. He’s combined for a +37 in that time and has been one of the most efficient players for the Pelicans.

Over the last four, Diallo is averaging 9.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. While those aren’t exactly dominant numbers, they’re pretty strong for someone playing 21.8 minutes-per-game in that stretch.

Add to it the efficiency, and you’ve got yourself a fantastic run. He’s 13-for-22 from the field and 12-for-13 from the foul line. Defensively, Diallo brings tenacity and impressive smarts for someone with so little experience. He’s also extremely active on the boards, sometimes leading to teammates getting the rebound.

Now, this is no disrespect to Nikola Mirotic and Emeka Okafor. I think both have been solid and bring a lot to the table.

Mirotic has a strong offensive game and can stretch the floor, he’s decent on the boards and an underrated defender.

Okafor meanwhile is a classic rim protector. He is good on the glass and a great inside presence defensively. Most importantly, he can bang down low with the biggest guys in the league, taking pressure off Anthony Davis.

With all that being said, it’s time to get Cheick Diallo these types of minutes (if not more) on a consistent basis. For proof of why look no further than the Pelicans win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

Diallo played just seven minutes heading into the fourth quarter, and I was begging for Alvin Gentry to play him the entire final frame. The Pelicans were miserable defensively and needed to change something up.

Alvin Gentry made the in-game Adjustment that helped the Pels win.

Gentry listened to me pleading to my screen. Diallo played all 12 minutes, whistle-to-whistle. In the game, the Lakers scored 48 points in the paint. Only six of them came in the fourth quarter.

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To that point, the Lakers scored just 17 points in the fourth, their previous low in the game was 29 in the second. They also entered the fourth with six offensive rebounds but got only one more in the entire final 12 minutes.

The Pelicans meanwhile had no problems in the paint. They scored 80 in the game, and 16 came in the fourth quarter. They also had just one offensive rebound in the quarter, but it was Diallo that scooped it up.

Cheick Diallo might not space the floor as well as Mirotic, but he isn’t completely lost outside of the paint. He might not be as big as Okafor, but he’s not afraid to fight for rebounds and protect the rim.

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Cheick Diallo brings energy and tenacity to the floor. His rise in playing time has translated to Ws for the Pelicans. If New Orleans wants to continue their winning ways, it’s time to commit to consistent minutes for the Mali man.