New Orleans Pelicans: Grades for another loss vs. Hawks

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Hawks: Grades for the wings

Naji Marshall has improved in every game since entering the rotation and he put up his best performance yet against the Hawks.

The New Orleans Pelicans are starving on the wings with Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart out, but Marshall has done a very solid job. He has shown that he deserves more game time even when Ingram and Hart are back.

Marshall played really hard during his 28 minutes on the court. It’s true that he went 2-for-10 from the field, but he still finished with eight points and I like how he played on attack.

Marshall was aggressive taking it to the rack and drew six free throws. Often, these drives came from getting rebounds and then bringing the ball up himself. He also used his gravity getting downhill to get a trifecta of assists.

The former Xavier wing also competed well on defense. He has great energy and effort level, something that the Pels have often lacked on this end of the floor.

The next step for him, like I’ve written about before, is refining his three-point shot. Marshall missed all of his attempted threes against the Hawks.

Another solid outing for James Johnson, who I thought could have actually played more than 25 minutes.

Johnson scored eight points, had three blocks, and stole the ball from Atlanta twice. His ability to put the ball on the floor continues to impress me. Johnson has been great finding little crevices in the opponent’s defense so far in New Orleans.

On defense, he was once again one of the best performers for the Pelicans. He understands where to be and his motor has been high.

Let’s see if the Pelicans maintain Johnson past this season. He is in the last months of a $16 million per year contract and I don’t think he will command more than a minimum next season.

Iwundu continues to rack up spot minutes here and there for the Pelicans.

He played 11 minutes and it’s clear that there is something Stan Van Gundy must like about him. That probably goes back to his defensive potential, as Iwundu is long and fairly athletic, but he is yet to truly show that in New Orleans.

What he has shown is that his terrible three-point numbers this season were not a farce. Iwundu went 0-for-2 from the perimeter against the Hawks. His percentage from deep hovers at around 13 percent.

In my eyes, Iwundu is a valuable roster piece but deep off the bench. Right now, I would definitely prioritize playing Naji Marshall over him.