New Orleans Pelicans: Breaking down Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s career night

Taking a look at Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s big night against the Clippers and what it means for the New Orleans Pelicans future

A shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans squad lost 111-106 to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first game of a long road trip, but the game was more competitive than expected largely thanks to an excellent showing by Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Alexander-Walker made the most out of Eric Bledsoe and Lonzo Ball’s absences and showed that he deserves to be a regular fixture in Stan Van Gundy’s rotation. The Canadian guard scored 37 points in 33 minutes on an efficient 15-for-23 from the field. Easily career highs.

Despite the loss, this was a night Alexander-Walker should remember for a long time—and with good reason. The Virginia Tech product is the type of player exactly that the Pelicans need. He’s a spark plug who can create his own shot off the dribble. No one besides Brandon Ingram can consistently do that for the New Orleans Pelicans, and to say Alexander-Walker can consistently do this would be premature and deceptive.

This was an unprecedented performance for the second-year guard whose scoring and overall play will ebb and flow over the course of the season. It was not too long ago that the NBA moved too fast for Alexander-Walker—it probably still will on some nights—but this type of game while being guarded by the likes of Patrick Beverley and Kawhi Leonard shows the type of progress the Pelicans want to see from him.

Stan Van Gundy needs more shooters in a roster that suffers from a dearth of natural spacing. This is where Alexander-Walker comes in. The goal should be to continue molding him into a combo guard that can handle the ball and create his own shot, just like he did against the Clippers. In turn, this will relieve stress from Brandon Ingram who has oftentimes been New Orleans’ entire offensive system.

Now, let’s breakdown Nickeil’s performance from last night!