New Orleans Pelicans: Grades for a tough loss to the Bucks

Pelicans vs. Bucks: Grades for the shooting guards

Eric Bledsoe did hit four of his ten 3-point shots but missed one with time running out.

The Pels were also much better when he wasn’t on the floor, which has been a trend lately, as Bledsoe hasn’t played well defensively.

With Jrue Holiday out, this is a game the Pels’ guards needed to dominate. Bledsoe and Lonzo made 10 of 20 from behind-the-arc and added 13 combined assists, so this one is not on them.

Josh Hart’s up and down season continues, as one night he looks like a guy who should definitely be part of the Pels’ future plans and other nights he can’t buy a shot. By the way, I wrote this exact sentence after the last game.

Hart is in line for a big raise in the offseason but I am not sure it should be with the Pelicans, as they need a consistent scoring option off the bench and he is not providing it. I will cut him some slack considering he was often tasked with guarding Giannis, something that has been a problem all season, as the Pels have no other option than to play Hart out of poisition.

Hart ended with six points and five boards, getting outplayed by J.J. Redick, who has not been outplaying many people this season.

J.J. Redick has not been a 3-point threat this season, so he is trying to find other ways to contribute. He did have seven rebounds and three assists but if he can’t make long-range shots, he is not much use to the Pelicans, who may need to trade Redick before the deadline to build some depth on the bench.