New Orleans Pelicans: Player Grades in 118-109 Loss to the Lakers

Forwards

You know expectations are high when a 19-year-old scores 29 points against the best team in the conference and still only gets an A-, but that is where we are with Zion. Williamson was a little shaky early on, with three turnovers and was often frustrated at the rim by the long and tall Lakers, who are one of the best defensive teams in the league. Zion kept battling though and showed that he wouldn’t back down. Williamson played great defense on Anthony Davis and got to the free throw line 19 times, hitting 13 of them. For the first time since his return, Zion shot less than 50 percent from the floor, hitting just eight of his 18 shots.  In his first game at the Staples Center, Zion showed that he is a generational talent who will be battling LeBron for years to come. James may not be ready to pass the torch just yet, but that day is coming.

Zion vs. LeBron was the big story coming into the game but it was Ingram who was most impressive for the Pelicans. The lanky small forward played a spirited game against his former team, dropping 34 points and adding seven rebounds and four assists. Ingram carried the Pelicans early on when the team had a hard time getting buckets. He was aggressive in transition, played good defense with two steals and kept bringing the New Orleans Pelicans back every time it looked like they were going to get blown out. Ingram did have seven turnovers, which is why this grade isn’t an A, but Ingram had a great game and showed why the Pelicans made him the centerpiece of the Davis trade.

Melli continued his strong play, dropping 11 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Melli’s calling card has been his long-range shooting, but he took just three 3-pointers, hitting one of them. The Lakers were clearly trying to run the Pelicans off the 3-point line and continually made them go into the paint where there was always a large rim protector waiting. This strategy was effective and kept Melli from getting going from 3-point range, where he’d had the hot hand. The Pelicans finished the game just 8-27 from 3-point range for a miserable 29.6 percent. Melli did add six rebounds, two assists and a block, but also turned the ball over two times, one of which was at a crucial juncture late in the game.