Nicolò Melli looks like a secret weapon for the New Orleans Pelicans bench
Entering his first year of NBA basketball, the 28-year-old power forward was aggressive in his first preseason appearance. While it wasn’t a perfect night for the older rooke player, Nicolò Melli, it certainly provided some optimism about his future on this team’s bench.
Melli led the team in plus/minus rate, posting a +29 impact in his 22 minutes of action on Monday night in State Farm Arena.
What thrilled from Melli was the aggressiveness the Italian-born player showed in his first night against NBA opponents. While he shot just 4-for-11 from the field, his ability to provide a spark off the bench would be a huge addition for Alvin Gentry’s bench.
The New Orleans Pelicans need to solidify their bench, but with so many moving pieces from a year ago, it puts the onus on the coaching staff to identify which players can provide the most boom in short minutes.
Lots of Nicolo Melli propaganda from me this season. Not too many 4s can put it on the floor with this body control pic.twitter.com/NppSeNFMTV
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) October 8, 2019
Contributing in a lot of different ways off the bench, Melli looked like more than a spacer-scorer against the Hawks. The rookie grabbed 8 rebounds, completed 4 assists, and poked the ball away for 2 steals, finding a way to cause the Hawks issues on both ends.
Executive VP David Griffin brought Melli in as a three-point shooting threat, and while his 1-for-6 clip wasn’t great last night, it seems the team might’ve found a special player to add to their second unit.
Overall, the Pelicans bench showed a lot of exciting things, including a great night from Jahlil Okafor. If Melli and Okafor can be solid second options in the New Orleans Pelicans’ frontcourt, it’ll really help Alvin Gentry construct his rotations.