New Orleans Pelicans: Player Grades in 112-106 Bench Loss to the Kings
The New Orleans Pelicans were playing for pride and future jobs against the Kings.
The New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings had little to play for after both were eliminated from the playoffs.
With both teams resting key players, this was a bench game that had more of a preseason feel than a regular season game.
It was a fun game for those who like young guys, player development and talking about the future.
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A couple of Pelicans had bounce-back games, and a few made their case for the future in a 112-106 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Here are the grades.
Point Guards
FRANK JACKSON. A. . Point Guard. New Orleans Pelicans
Frank Jackson was one of the players who made a case for a future roster spot with the New Orleans Pelicans. Jackson has been one of the minor bright spots in the bubble, playing with energy off the bench and bringing defensive intensity. Jackson was on fire against the Kings and ended the night with 18 points on eight of 11 shooting. I for one like Jackson and think he’s a fit on this roster as a backup point guard, especially if they balance out the rest of the team with some forwards and bigs. He always plays hard, has the size to guard both guard spots and pushes the pace with the second unit. It was a good game for Jackson, who probably played well enough in the bubble to get himself a job with someone, even if it’s not the Pelicans.
Point Guard. New Orleans Pelicans. LONZO BALL. B.
When Lonzo Ball came out firing and hitting shots against the Kings, part of me was like “sweet, Lonzo is finally having a good game!” while the other part was like “where has this been?!?!”
A lot has been said about Lonzo Ball’s play in the bubble and he’d be the first to admit that he was terrible. He even took the blame for the Pelicans’ collapse, which I like to see from a guy who is a team leader.
So it was nice to see Lonzo bounce back and have a good shooting night. He scored 16 points, but most importantly, hit four of six from the 3-point line, where he had been completely broke.
Lonzo needs some good vibes heading into next season and would have gotten a higher grade if not for four turnovers, which has been a huge problem throughout the restart.