New Orleans Pelicans Players that will impact playoff match-ups in April

Los Angeles Clippers: Nikola Mirotic

Though they have only played 181 minutes on the floor together, the Clippers forward duo of Danilo Gallinari and Tobias Harris should be a very tough matchup for any team to deal with. Both are big scorers who flourish in a plethora of offensive situations. They are crafty enough to succeed in the post and in isolation, their shooting reach and ball handling make them dangerous in the pick and roll, and both have the ability to knock down threes.

If both are healthy, they should be a handful for any team. Thankfully, Solomon Hill should be defending one of the two. But with Davis starting at the four and carrying much of the Pels offensive load, giving him sole defensive duties for one of Gallo or Tobias may be too much for Davis to deal with. That is where Mirotic comes in.

Easily the most underrated aspect of Niko’s game is his defensive ability. Mirotic has put up a DRPM of at least .5 every year of his career and has matched that with negative DIFF percentages, both within six feet and outside of fifteen feet, for the past two years. Mirotic is someone who matches Gallinari and Harris in size, with the ability to also make them pay attention offensively with his shooting.

Furthermore, Mirotic should also help in stretching DeAndre Jordan out of the paint, which would open driving lanes for slashers like Jrue Holiday and Ian Clark.