New Orleans Pelicans: Grades for another loss vs. Hawks

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Hawks: Grades for the guards

After a career-high eight triples in his last game, Lonzo Ball had a tough time scoring against the Hawks.

Ball only made four of his 15 shots and 14 of those were threes. He really struggled from deep early on, getting good looks at the basket from three but just not being able to convert. A few of them rattled in and out.

However, Ball still found other ways to add value to the Pels. He finished just one rebound short of a triple-double and his playmaking repertoire was on full display. Ball had 11 assists and just one turnover. He was finding his teammates on pocket passes, generating open threes, and pushing the ball in transition.

But if Ball’s three-pointer isn’t falling, that limits the rest of his game and his weaknesses come to light. Ball remains uncomfortable getting deep into the paint and pulling up from the midrange. Those deficiencies have been mostly hidden this season—Ball is taking nearly 66 percent of his shots from beyond the arc—but still pop up.

An unremarkable night for Eric Bledsoe.

He was okay on attack, scoring four of his eight threes and finishing with double-digit points yet again. However, Bledsoe also didn’t add too much in terms of facilitating despite his four assists or playing defense.

Even as the regular season’s end rapidly approaches, I am still unconvinced that Bledsoe has a long-term future in New Orleans. The backcourt duo with Lonzo Ball has no chemistry and it seems like neither of them can play to their full ability when paired together.

The best thing for the Pelicans is for Bledsoe to continue this decent stretch of performances and make himself a more appealing player for teams this summer.

Isaiah Thomas made his anticipated debut with the Pelicans after sitting out the previous game against the Houston Rockets because of health and safety protocols.

Thomas played 25 minutes and I thought he looked off the pace, which is understandable. He has not played in an NBA game since February 3, 2020 with the Washington Wizards. His only competitive basketball in the past few months came in a pair of FIBA games with the United States’ men’s basketball team.

Right now, we have to consider that Thomas is essentially auditioning for an NBA role, be that in New Orleans or elsewhere. If Thomas can provide scoring punch to the Pelicans, that would be great, but I have serious questions about his game fitting what Stan Van Gundy wants. I expect his tryout in the big easy to last for 20 days, since I’m thinking he will get a second 10-day contract—especially with all of the injuries that are adding up.

Thomas finished with 10 points (4-of-13 from the field), two assists, and four turnovers.