New Orleans Pelicans: Grades for close win vs. Kings

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Kings: Grades for the bigs

Zion Williamson was dominant as always.

The New Orleans Pelicans’ all-star finished his night with 30 points, six rebounds, and four assists. The Kings had no answer for him and I don’t think it is too early to start debating whether Williamson already belongs in the upper echelon of NBA players.

It’s very early in his career, but who can stop Williamson? This is a guy who is able to get the shot he wants whenever he desires. He rarely misses, has little trouble playmaking for others, and has gotten better month-to-month.

Against the Kings, I was particularly impressed with Williamson down the stretch. The Pels’ franchise player played all of the fourth quarter and was perfect from the field.

Steven Adams didn’t stuff the stat sheet, but I thought he played a good all-around game.

The Kiwi center pitched in offensively with six points, although he could have been more aggressive on some occasions, and did his part defensively. Adams did not get into foul trouble and made his presence be felt.

Adams dominated the glass, totaling 16 rebounds with five of them being offensive boards. He constantly battled for position under the rim, wrestled with the Kings’ centers, and tried doing whatever possible to ensure the Pels had second chance opportunities.

Jaxson Hayes’ improvement over the last couple of months has to feel great for the Pelicans’ front office.

The Texas big started the season roughly, even falling out of Stan Van Gundy’s rotation at one point, but he deserves a lot of credit for how he has fought his way back into a prominent role.

Hayes is starting to truly understand the NBA. His defensive lapses are becoming less common, while he is an easy fit on offense as a rim-runner and lob catcher. There have been flashes of shooting, as well, although I’m not sure Hayes appreciated the hot potato he had to toss up at the end of one possession.

Hayes ended with eight points, seven rebounds, and three steals against the Kings.

Willy Hernangómez got a handful of minutes at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth, but he didn’t do anything worth writing about.

The Pels got outscored by five points during the Spanish center’s minutes on the court, although it is unfair to attribute that to him. Simply put, the Kings were on a hot run for the entirety of the second half.

Hernangómez’s role in Stan Van Gundy’s rotation will be interesting to watch going forward. Will the Pelicans’ head coach use the double big lineups with Hayes and Hernangómez more?