New Orleans Pelicans: 3 Takeaways from the Pels’ 99-68 Win Over the Nets

New Orleans Pelicans: Nickeil Alexander Walker was aggressive with mixed results.

We knew the young Pelicans were going to get a lot of run tonight and Alvin Gentry didn’t disappoint.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker had the ball in his hands a lot in the second half, and was aggressive, which you like to see from a young player coming back from injury.

He had a couple of really nice takes to the basket, finishing at the rim, and once kicking it out to an open Josh Hart for a 3-pointer.

But he also took several ill-advised shots, jacking up a few difficult 3-pointers early in the shot clock.

He also turned the ball over several times and didn’t look particularly comfortable with the ball.

He did tie for the team high with 14 points, but he needed 15 shots to get them and went one for six from long-range.

Overall it was a good performance considering the circumstances, but it’s unlikely we’re going to be seeing NAW as the primary ball handler once the games are real.

Additional Notes

-It was good to see Kenrich Williams again. He took a charge, grabbed a couple of rebounds in traffic, and generally was a nuisance for the other team in the few minutes he was out there.

-Jahlil Okafor showed that he can get buckets, which should be his main focus if he does get on the floor. He went five for six in limited action for 10 points.

-I thought the Black Lives Matter message on the floor looked amazing. Brooklyn has great fonts and the did a good job.

-Two E’Twaun Moore floaters made me feel like basketball was back in New Orleans.

-The New Orleans Pelicans used just about every small ball lineup imaginable tonight and it was fun to watch. There aren’t too many teams in the NBA that can run with the Pels.

-Jaxson Hayes, Jarrett Allen and Frank Jackson had three glorious lockdown ‘fros going.

-It was great to have basketball back.

-Let’s GOOOOO!