New Orleans Pelicans: Grades for blowout win over the Phoenix Suns
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns: Grades for the shooting guards
. Shooting Guard. New Orleans Pelicans. ERIC BLEDSOE. B-
One thing that hasn’t been talked about much is that Eric Bledsoe has played fine offense but it’s his defense that has been lacking.
Bledsoe has been knocking down shots, as he did last night, hitting 50 percent from long-range, but he hasn’t been defending well, which becomes obvious when Lonzo Ball leaves the game.
A-. . Shooting Guard. New Orleans Pelicans. JOSH HART
Josh Hart didn’t have a great night rebounding the ball but he was all over the place defensively, knocked down 2-of-3 from long-range and was aggressive taking the ball to the hoop in transition.
. Shooting Guard. New Orleans Pelicans. J.J. REDICK. B
Redick played his best game since the first game of the season, knocking down a couple of 3-pointers, making one beautiful pass and drawing a charge, which has become his specialty.
I’m not ready to say Redick is back to form because he is not. If you watch film of him from last season and compare it to this one, Redick does not look the same physically.
I’m totally theorizing here but Redick seems to be dealing with some type of minor injury that is affecting his movement and shot. I’m no doctor but it seems kind of obvious.
I hope I’m wrong and that the recent trade rumors are enough to turn Redick’s season around.
D. . Shooting Guard. New Orleans Pelicans. NICKEIL ALEXANDER-WALKER
Yikes Again.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker just keeps chucking 3-pointers even though he cannot make them. Almost all of his shots are high difficulty, which is why he looks like an All-NBA talent when they are going in but looks terrible any other night.
NAW is now shooting 28.2 percent from 3-point range but keeps taking 4.3 of them a game anyway, a number that has gone way up in the last several games.
NAW did have some nice passes, notching five assists but also had three turnovers and missed all five of his 3-point shots.
Asking for a rookie friend: Why does he continue to get big minutes? Personally, I’d rather see Kira Lewis Jr. out there. He turns the ball over less and doesn’t take nearly as many bad shots. NAW isn’t defending well anyway so what is there to lose?