New Orleans Pelicans: One thing for each player to prove this season
New Orleans Pelicans: Shooting guards
Josh Hart: Josh Hart is likely out for the season so there is not much more he can do to strengthen his case. He’s been a great cheerleader for the Pels since going out with injury but his next deal will likely just come down to the market and what happens with the plethora of free-agent shooting guards that will be available.
Eric Bledsoe: Eric Bledsoe has become enemy number one for Pelicans’ fans who seem to always need a scapegoat to blame the losing on. Bledsoe is also unfairly compared to Jrue Holiday, which really doesn’t make sense considering they are playing much different roles. Holiday also just signed a contract for $40 million a season so if you want to know why he’s no longer a Pelican, there’s your answer. Bledsoe has been better than all the hate would warrant, but still not great.
What I’d like to see out of Bledsoe for these 21 games is consistent effort and production. He’s often been very good this season but also been bad as well. I’m not worried about Bledsoe’s scoring so it would be nice for him to prove that he can still be a plus-defender in this league on a night-to-night basis.
I don’t care if Bledsoe makes another shot this season but I would love to see him lock some people down consistently.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker: NAW is another guy who has played much better since he was benched, but can he do it consistently? For NAW, it all comes down to shot selection and decision making on the offensive end. I’ve often been pessimistic about his ceiling because his game relies so heavily on difficult shot making, but lately he’s been more patient, is not forcing as many shots and is letting the game come to him.
NAW needs to continue to prove he can be a consistent scoring threat that doesn’t chuck a lot of bad shots. If he can, Bledsoe will likely be shipped out in the offseason and we might see NAW running with Lonzo Ball.
Isaiah Thomas: Thomas is only on a 10-day contract, so there is a chance he won’t even be on the team by the end of the season, but there’s also a chance he could play his way into a future contract.
He is obviously not the guy he used to be, but he can still score, so he just needs to prove that he is 100 percent healthy and ready to be a bench contributor next season. I’m cheering for the guy, as he embodies everything I love about basketball and I’d love to see him have a couple of big nights to end the season.