New Orleans Pelicans: Grades for close win vs. Kings

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Kings: Grades for the guards

Eric Bledsoe scored double digits again after two poor games against the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers, but his overall performance wasn’t much better.

Bledsoe still missed most of his shots—he went 3-of-11 from the field—and was once again cold from three. Over the last three games, he is shooting 17 percent from deep.

What he did well against the Kings was attacking the basket. Bledsoe constantly got downhill, either drawing free throws or finding his teammates in the open court. In particular, he had a nice pass to a trailing Zion Williamson that ended up in a dunk.

However, Bledsoe was too careless with the ball. He had five assists, but those were nullified by his five turnovers. The former Bucks guard had a really tough start to the game, with three of those turnovers coming in the first quarter alone.

A mixed game for the Pels rookie, as I thought Kira Lewis Jr. played well offensively but struggled down the other end of the floor.

Against the Kings, Lewis did what he always does on attack. He injects the Pels with pace and vigor, getting out in transition quickly and always looking to punish the rim. His qualities as an instant sparkplug for New Orleans were evident in the first half, with seven of his 11 total points coming before half time.

The Alabama draftee did not do as well on defense, though. His effort was typically good, but he found it tough to stay in front of De’Aaron Fox, for instance. This isn’t a knock on Lewis. Sometimes the opponent is just so good on offense that you have to live with it. Fox was one of those cases.

Isaiah Thomas got around four minutes of game time after not appearing in the Pels’ two previous games.

Thomas checked in for some spot minutes during the fourth quarter. He made a floater after a nice give-and-go with Zion Williamson, missed a foul line jumper, and committed a turnover. It was his first appearance at the Smoothie King Center and the Pels faithful gave the former all-star a great reaction.

Beyond that, there’s not much more to write about Thomas’ game versus his former team. Monday was the last night of Thomas’ 10-day contract, so we’ll have to wait and see whether the Pelicans bring him back at some point down the line. For what it’s worth, Stan Van Gundy praised the veteran point guard after the game, saying that he appreciated having the chance to coach him.

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