All 3 New Orleans Pelicans players can maximize their Rising Stars debut
By Willie Lutz
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Team World
While he hasn’t been playing many minutes for the New Orleans Pelicans this season, Nickeil Alexander-Walker has a chance to shine in a bigger role in this early-career showcase.
His numbers haven’t been that exciting, as he’s averaged 5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2 assists as an occasional member of the team’s rotations between the bench unit.
During the preseason, Alexander-Walker thrilled off of the Pelicans’ bench, often getting the chance to close out games in key moments for a team that went 5-0 in the exhibition season.
To make the most of his appearance in the Rising Stars celebration, it would be great to see Alexander-Walker get extended run time for the first time in a long time.
Theoretically, if he can get out on the court and hit a couple of nice shots, he could start getting some momentum back into his rookie season, as he’s been limited to just 12.2 minutes in 41 games this season, despite the team’s need for backups due to early-season injuries.
Between his 33.6% rate from three this season and his 3.7 turnovers per 100 possessions, Alexander-Walker has been a little underwhelming this season for the Pelicans, so getting some good runtime will be crucial for the guard.
It would be great to see Nickeil hit a few threes tonight, as it seems like he hasn’t had a whole lot of confidence in that shot during the regular season after scorching the earth from deep during the Summer League.
Overall, it’ll just be nice to see Alexander-Walker get some minutes. While he’s a really promising young talent, he simply hasn’t done enough to earn the trust of Alvin Gentry. Perhaps with a little boost of confidence from the Rising Stars challenge, he can start carrying some energy into the Pelicans’ lineups.