Every player on the New Orleans Pelicans had some ups and downs.
The New Orleans Pelicans were hoping for a fairy tale ending to their season, but instead left Disney with a lottery ticket and a lot of question marks.
This has been the strangest NBA season ever for many reasons, especially for the Pelicans. Not only did they have to deal with Zion Williamson‘s early hype, his injury and return, but had to do it with a young roster still searching for an identity.
The Pels started 6-22 and it looked like another lost season. But then they started winning, Zion returned and suddenly everyone was talking playoffs. The season swung from a 13-game losing streak to a chance at the playoffs, it’s been that kind of year.
There were a lot of positives from the season, but also a lot of things that weren’t so positive. Here is one positive and one negative from every Pelicans’ player this season.
The Reserves
Kenrich Williams
Positive: Kenrich Williams ended the season healthy.
Negative: He didn’t get to show much with the team this year. Williams is a guy who might have made an impact had he come back from injury a few weeks earlier than he did, but he never had time to gel with his teammates. He’s likely played his last game with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Jahlil Okafor
Positive: Jahlil Okafor played well in the mop-up games and showed he can still get buckets. He is only 24-years-old and very likely earned himself a better contract with his showing. It probably won’t be with the Pelicans, but Okafor got himself a check. He was a professional all year, did his thing when called upon and never complained.
Negative: The fact that Okafor wasn’t able to crack the Pels’ big man rotation is worrying, as they were not deep at his position. He is a force in the post but hasn’t added anything to his game. If Okafor had extended his range and learned to knock down 3-pointers, he might have had a spot in the rotation. But he is still just the back-to-the-basket post guy who doesn’t play great defense.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Positive: Nickeil Alexander-Walker flashed signs of real potential, especially early and late in the season. He got some valuable reps at point guard in the bubble, a wrinkle the Pelicans are clearly fascinated with, as NAW has the size to be a problem. His decision making was better in the last few games, though he still had a lot of turnovers.
Negative: There are some aspects of NAW’s game that have improved, such as his passing and long-range shooting, but his ball handling still needs a lot of work. It actually would have been nice for NAW to finish the season in the G-League so that he could get more reps and improve his handles, but the pandemic made that impossible.