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

Nickeil Alexander-Walker impressed New Orleans Pelicans fans with his shooting and pick-and-roll play

My biggest takeaway from Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s offensive explosion was the myriad ways in which he got his buckets. The 22-year-old put his entire arsenal on display against some of the best defenders in the league.

Alexander-Walker showed all the tools that an NBA guard needs to be successful, but his most impressive sequences for me came when he was used in pick-and-roll. The Pelicans resort to using Brandon Ingram like this when they need a bucket the most, but it was Alexander-Walker “taking” the Duke forward’s role and using it efficiently. In fact, Ingram’s usage rate against the Clippers was lower than Alexander-Walker’s.

The Pelicans’ no. 0 was poised and patient. Below, Alexander-Walker has the ball at the top of the arc while being guarded by Nicolas Batum who has had a resurgence in Los Angeles. Like we’ve seen time and time again with Ingram, Steven Adams comes up to set the screen. Alexander-Walker uses it, maintains his dribble low while keeping Batum on his back, and then has the savvy to avoid Ivica Zubac by floating his lay-up high into the air.

This was one of many plays in which Alexander-Walker exhibited his know-how. A few plays later, the Pelicans ran the same play for him. This time, he kept Batum on his hip, faked him out with hesitation, and changed speeds to finish at the rim. These aren’t flashy moves, but they require a player to have a real understanding of NBA basketball.

My favorite Alexander-Walker play from Wednesday night was a simple lay-up, but it’s all about how he got into it. Again, Alexander-Walker uses the screen to start getting downhill. He goes right, but then suggests to Zubac that he’s going to turn left. Once the Clippers’ center turns to go that way, Alexander-Walker shrewdly spins back to his right and finishes off the glass. Not only was it impressive, but it’s also one of those plays you just sit back and admire.

Alexander-Walker’s in-between scoring is also worth mentioning. He made all three of his attempted floaters, over Zubac and Serge Ibaka—two of the NBA’s premier rim protectors. His efficiency was further aided by his three-pointers, going 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.

The Pelicans are tied for dead last in three-point percentage in the entire NBA. In today’s game, that is just awful. We’ve covered New Orleans’ shooting woes extensively on Pelican Debrief, so it should suffice to say that the Pelicans simply need more three-pointers. This is something that Alexander-Walker can also provide—and this is not just based on one performance. Over his two seasons at Virginia Tech, Alexander-Walker made 38 percent of his threes.

In his first three of the game, Paul George went under a screen and let Alexander-Walker shoot. He drained it. They started paying him more attention after that, but Alexander-Walker still scored: a stepback three over Kawhi Leonard, two threes coming off a handoff, and a pull-up three over Marcus Morris. Alexander-Walker is by no means a one-dimensional offensive player and I hope Stan Van Gundy keeps that in mind.